So a few weeks ago I joined my girlfriends for a happy hour at Parkside on 6th street. While I normally avoid the area like the plague, I had read good things about the happy hour at Parkside so we decided to give it a go. Among the dishes we tried was a pumpkin rotolo so beautiful, I knew I had to try to make one myself. My take is less traditional than the Italian version and has a Japanese twist with kabocha squash and shiitake and maitake mushrooms. It's a bit involved so give yourself some time for this one!

Miso-Kabocha & Creamy Kale Rotolo
Serves 4

1/4 cup tamari
1 tbsp miso
2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp mirin

Squash
1.5 lbs kabocha squash, halved and seeds removed
1 tbsp minced garlic
pinch white pepper
3 tbsp butter
1 tbsp sesame oil

Kale
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 bunch red Russian kale, roughly chopped
2 cloves garlic
1/2 cup cream
1/2 pound hen of the wood mushrooms, base minced and tops separated for later

Gremolata
5 shiso leaves, roughly chopped
6 dried shiitake caps, rehydrated in hot water, sliced thin and fried in olive oil until crispy (reserve 1/4 cup of the mushroom liquor for use in the sauce)
1 tsp garlic, minced

Mushrooms
4 tbsp butter
1 clove garlic
tops of the hen of the woods mushrooms, separated by the stems`
6 rehydrated shiitakes, thinly sliced

Sauce
1/4 cup mushroom liquor
1 tbsp miso
3 tbsp melted butter
1 tbsp of the reserved tamari-miso mix

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix the first 4 ingredients in a bowl and whisk vigorously until smooth. Separate the mixture into two equal parts and set one aside. Place the halved kabocha squash, skin side down, onto a baking sheet. Using a basting brush, brush the kabocha flesh generously with the mixture and bake in the oven for about 45 minutes, until tender. Remove from the oven, set aside until cool enough to handle. Scrape the flesh from the skin and mash the flesh with a fork until smooth. Add butter, sesame oil, garlic and salt and white pepper to taste and remainder of the basting liquid and mash together until well incorporated.

Heat olive oil in a pan over medium heat and add the garlic. Add the kale and allow to cook for 15 minutes. Add the reserved miso mixture, reserving a further 1 tbsp for later and cream and mix together for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Rolls: lay the pasta sheets out on a work surface. Divide and spread the kabocha puree over the pasta. Sprinkle over the cooked kale. Roll up the sheets and cut each roll into four pieces.. Place them side by side in a baking dish thinly lined with olive oil. Cover with foil and keep warm in the oven.

Gremolata: add all ingredients to a food processor and process until very fine.

Mushrooms: In a large saute pan, heat the butter and garlic. Add the shiitakes and cook until almost crispy. Add the maitake mushrooms and cook until maitakes are soft and shiitakes are crisp, about 10 minutes.

Sauce: combine the remaining ingredients in a bowl and whisk until smooth.

To serve: drizzle the plate with the sauce, place one rotolo roll on top of the sauce. Add mushrooms to the plate. Sprinkle with gremolata. Garnish with chiffonade shiso leaves.

Poached egg yolks make a wonderful garnish for this dish as they do at lovely Parkside on 6th.