The Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashana, is coming up this weekend and we always host a festive fall dinner. I’m constantly in search of a good vegetarian main course and in the past I’ve often done a Squash Lasagna. Brisket is a main dish commonly served at Rosh Hashana so I thought I’d do a vegetarian dish inspired by it. I ended up making a whole butternut squash sliced hasselback-style (which is easier than it looks!) and baked with some spices and herbs that are often used when making a meat brisket.
The trickiest part of this recipe is peeling the butternut. Use a potato peeler and shave down the sides while it’s whole. Hopefully your peeler is sharper than mine and this won’t be too much of a chore! After the squash is halved and the seeds removed, slice each one hasselback-style, like above. Some recipes suggest using chopsticks on either side, but I didn’t have any, so instead I used a couple of butter knives that I didn’t care much about. They create a bit of space between your knife and the cutting board so that you don’t cut all the way through and the whole thing stays intact.
Everything is baked and served in the same dish
Everything is combined in one casserole baking dish which makes it easy to serve as well. A spiced liquid is poured over the whole dish before baking. Pomegranate and chives are added once it comes out of the oven. I prefer to eat a myriad of sides and while this could be a veggie side, it’s so substantial and pretty in the dish that it feels like a main and accompanies several sides so nicely. Also, this goes without saying, but it could of course be served alongside actual brisket if that’s what you’re serving!
Sprinkle it with pomegranate and chives when it comes out of the oven
A festive, colorful vegetarian main course for a fall meal.
Butternut “Brisket” for Rosh Hashana
1 medium butternut squash (approx 3 pounds), peeled and cut hasselback style
Veg to scatter around the main squash:
1 small sweet potato, peeled and cut into big cubes
2 carrots, cut into big cubes (I don’t bother peeling)
1 large red onion (or 2 small) cut into big cubes
5 dates (sliced in chunks)
1 handful (yellow) cherry tomatoes
3 bay leaves
For the sauce:
1/2 c veg broth
1/2 t paprika
1/4 t cinnamon
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 T honey (or maple syrup to make it vegan)
1/4 olive oil
1 t coarse salt
Garnish:
2 t chives, finely chopped
1/3 c fresh pomegranate seeds
salt and pepper to taste
Instructions: (preheat oven to 425F)
Start by using a hand potato peeler to peel the skin off the butternut squash while it’s whole. This is the hardest part of this recipe, so hang in there! It just takes a few minutes. Go little by little around those curves.
Use a large knife to cut the squash in half lengthwise. I like to trim the bottom of the squash just a tiny bit to remove any remaining peel, but keep the stem (it’s pretty!). Use a spoon to remove the seeds.
Lay the 2 squash halves face-down on a cutting board. Starting with one of them, lay 2 butter knives (or chopsticks or wooden spoon handles) alongside the squash (see pic above). This keeps you from cutting all the way through and keeps the squash intact. This is hasselback! Looks pretty, but it’s not too hard–who knew?! Slice both squash halves from end to end. If some slices fall out as you go (mine did) just pop them back in. If you slice the whole thing in half, don’t worry, just push it together in the pan later. No one will notice!
Place both “hasselbacked” squash halves in a casserole dish, face down. I used an oval dish that’s 9x13”. Scatter all the other cubed vegetables, etc around the squash.
Combine all the sauce items and stir. Pour this mixture over the whole casserole.
A note on the dates: try to have them be submerged in the liquid otherwise they can get burnt and chewy and hard in the baking process (which I kinda like but it’s probably not for everyone!). If your squash was big, or your dish was big, or you had a LOT of veg piled up around it….you may want to add a bit more veg broth.
Let’s bake this thing! It should take about an hour at 425F in the middle rack. Half way through, open the oven and use a spoon to (carefully!!) spoon the liquid from the sides over the butternut and into those crevices. Stir the veg on the sides a bit and make sure those dates are underneath the liquid. At the 50-60 minute mark, use a fork and poke the squash and surrounding vegetables. If they are soft, it’s done! If your squash was on the bigger side, it might need a bit more time.
When it comes out of the oven, sprinkle the top with chives and fresh pomegranate seeds
Serve it hot and enjoy!
Suggestions for other items to serve it with (apples and honey are key at Rosh Hashana!):
Shana Tovah!