Roasted & Marinated Black Futsu Squash with Jeweled Grain Salad

by Connor Martin of Mian PDX

Serves 4 as a main course or make as a shareable salad by cutting squash into chunks and incorporating it into grain salad

Ingredients

• 2 Black Futsu squash, split horizontally into bowls, seeds removed, no need to peel

• 2 cup dark soy sauce

• 1 cup Shaoxing rice wine

• 1 cup water

• 1⁄4 cup maple syrup or honey

• 1 tbsp sesame oil

• 1 cup uncooked hull less barley, cooked and drained

• 1 cup uncooked wild rice, cooked and drained

• 1⁄4 cup dried currants, plumped in hot water with vinegar, drained

• 1⁄4 cup fried leeks or shallots

• 2 tbsp sesame seeds, toasted 1⁄2 cup sliced or slivered almonds, fried in butter, drained, and seasoned with salt and Madras curry powder. (Reserve any excess butter to cook pancakes!)

• 1⁄2 cup cilantro, roughly chopped or torn, stems included

• 1⁄4 cup mint, torn

• 1⁄2 cup green onions, thinly sliced, greens and whites both

• 2 tbsp sesame oil

• juice of 1 Meyer lemon

• salt

• 3⁄4 cup Greek yogurt

• 2 tbsp buttermilk

• 2 tsp garlic, grated on a microplane or finely minced

• zest of 1 Meyer lemon

Directions

Toss squash in neutral or olive oil, season very lightly with salt. Roast at 400 degrees until fully tender and browned. While squash is roasting, combine soy, rice wine, water, sesame oil and maple syrup. Once roasted, while still warm, let squash rest in the liquid for 20 minutes, or until fully seasoned. If the liquid is not fully covering the squash, rotate the squash occasionally to ensure that each area is submerged in the seasoning liquid. Remove the squash and reserve the liquid for other applications, such as marinating proteins or seasoning noodles or soup. 

Combine garlic, buttermilk, lemon zest and yogurt and a little salt. Mix well. In a large mixing bowl, combine all nuts, grains, fruit, seeds and herbs, reserving some of the herbs for garnish. Dress with sesame oil and lemon juice, adding more salt, acid or fat to taste. Pour any excess soy liquid out of the squash bowls. In the bottom of each squash bowl place a large spoonful of the yogurt sauce and spread it around. On top of yogurt, spoon a heaping mixture of the rice salad, dividing it between the four squash bowls evenly. Drizzle a little more yogurt sauce over the salad and top with any remaining herbs. Can be served warm, or room temperature.