Miso Butternut Ramen

Directions

1. Make the Miso Butternut Squash. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil, toss butternut rounds with 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil, spread out in a single layer, and season with kosher salt. Roast for 40 minutes, until the butternut slices are soft and lightly browned on the bottom. Meanwhile, make the miso glaze. Combine the mirin and Shaoxing wine in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the miso and stir until smooth. Stir in the sugar and cook for a couple minutes, until thick and bubbly. Transfer miso glaze to small bowl (do not rinse out saucepan). When the butternut squash has roasted, take it out of the oven, move the rack up to the top, and preheat the broiler. Brush the glaze generously onto the roasted butternut slices. Return to the oven and broil, watching carefully and rotating the pan as needed, until the glaze is bubbling and caramelized, and charred in spots.
2. Make the ramen. While the squash is roasting, heat the chicken stock in the now-empty miso glaze saucepan. Season the stock with soy sauce until it is just seasoned (you'll be adding more miso paste at the end, which is salty, so you don't want it to be fully seasoned just yet). Bring another pot of water to a boil and cook the soba noodles according to the package directions. When done, drain and rinse in a colander.
3. Assemble the bowls. In each of four bowls add 1/2 tablespoon miso paste, 1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar, and 1 cup of the heated stock. Stir gently to combine. Put 1/4 of the soba noodles into each bowl and top with several rings of butternut squash, a square of toasted nori, chile flakes, and sliced scallions. Serve with additional soy sauce and chile paste.