You won't believe what these roses are made of: a spectacular and easy dish for Rosh Hashanah

Who said that the holiday symbols have to be boring? This year, the butternut squash gets a special festive twist and turns into golden, sweet, and beautiful roses — an impressive dish that connects tradition, taste, and style with minimal work.

Rosh Hashanah tables are always full of festive dishes, but sometimes the traditional holiday symbols get a bit lost among all the dishes. These roses do exactly the opposite: they catch the eye, add color to the table, and turn one of the holiday symbols into a dish that cannot be ignored.

The butternut squash, from the squash family, connects to the holiday symbol and hope, and beyond the festive meaning, it is simply perfect for this dish: it has a natural sweetness, it softens beautifully when baked, and absorbs the flavors of olive oil and silan wonderfully. In the heat of the oven, it gets golden and caramelized edges — exactly what makes the roses so delicious.

Ingredients

For the squash roses:

• 1 large butternut squash, preferably with a long and thick neck

• 2-3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

• 1.5–2 tbsp natural silan

• 0.5 tsp fresh thyme leaves (to taste)

• Kosher salt and ground black pepper to taste

For serving:

• Fresh pomegranate seeds

• Microgreens or finely chopped parsley

• A little silan for drizzling

Preparation method

1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees and brush the wells of a mini-muffin tin well with olive oil. The greasing will help the roses come out easily and will also contribute to browning and crunchiness.

2. Peel the butternut squash. Using a vegetable peeler, peel the squash into strips that are as long, thin, and wide as possible.

3. Transfer the strips to a large bowl. Add olive oil, silan, thyme, salt, and pepper and mix gently with your hands until all the strips are well coated with the seasoning.

4. Take 2-3 strips at a time and roll them together loosely so that a rose shape is formed. Want a fuller rose? Add another strip or two around it. Place each rose inside a greased well in the tin.

5. Bake for about 25-35 minutes, until the squash is soft in the center and the edges are golden, browned, and caramelized.

6. Let the roses cool slightly in the tin, then carefully remove them using a small spoon or spatula. Arrange on a beautiful serving plate and decorate with pomegranate seeds, microgreens, or a little parsley. Just before serving, drizzle a little silan over the top.

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Tip for hosting on Rosh Hashanah:

Want to save work on the holiday day? You can prepare the roses and arrange them in the tin on the morning of the holiday, cover well, and keep in the refrigerator. Towards the meal, take them out of the refrigerator, remove the cover, and bake in a preheated oven. This way, just as the guests arrive, the roses come out of the oven hot, golden, and fragrant.