Chef Antonio Prontelli’s Grilled Bourbon-Maple-Glazed Butternut Squash

Grilled Bourbon-Maple-Glazed Butternut Squash with Roasted Cipollini Onions and Mustard Greens. (Courtesy of Rock Center Café)

In this recipe from chef Antonio Prontelli, butternut squash meets bourbon and maple syrup.

Grilled Bourbon-Maple-Glazed Butternut Squash with Roasted Cipollini Onions and Mustard Greens

Chef Antonio Prontelli, Rock Center Café (New York)

Makes 4 servings

• 1 large butternut squash (with a thick neck)
• 2 ounces Knob Creek bourbon
• 8 ounces maple syrup
• 1 red bell pepper
• 16 cipollini onions, peeled
• 3 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 bunch mustard greens, cleaned, dried, and chopped into 1” pieces
• 4 oz. extra-virgin olive oil
• Juice of 1 lemon

Sea salt and cracked black pepper, to taste

Pre-heat the oven to 300 degrees F.

Peel the butternut squash and remove the bulb (save for soup or other application)

Cut the neck of the butternut squash vertically into 4 1/2 inch-thick slices.

Place the squash slices on a hot grill and mark on both sides.

In a stainless steel pot, reduce the bourbon by 3/4 (to approximately 1/2 ounce) then add the maple syrup and simmer for one minute. Remove from heat.

Place the red pepper on the grill and char the outside. Transfer the pepper to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Once cooled, peel, de-seed, and cut the pepper into thin strips.

Heat 1 ounce of the olive oil in a hot sauté pan, then add the cipollini onions, thyme, salt, and pepper. Cook until the onions are golden-brown on both sides and tender.

Coat the butternut squash with 2/3 of the maple-bourbon glaze and place in the oven until it is tender (about 5 minutes).

Toss the mustard greens with 3 ounces of olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper, and the roasted red peppers.

Arrange the squash and onions attractively on the plate, then drizzle the remaining maple-bourbon glaze over the vegetables. Serve with the salad of mustard greens, and enjoy!