Monday, March 22, 2010

Oven Roasted Kabocha Squash

Roasted Kabocha Squash
It's official.  I love love love kabocha squash.  It's like candy for me.  Not too long ago I made my first kabocha squash dish, kabocha squash gnocchi, and I loved it.

More recently I decided to try simply roasting it in the oven, sprinkling it with a bit of sea salt, pepper, and truffle oil.  This stuff, I really could not stop eating.  It tastes good warm, cold out of the fridge . . . it's a fantastic healthy snack if you're just craving a little bite to eat.  In fact, more than once, I found myself sneaking a few slices of this stuff right before midnight.

How funny . . sneaking slices of kabocha squash as if it were cookies or something.

But really, it's so good.  And sadly, the last time I went to the market, I didn't see them anymore.  Is the season already over?
Slicing Kabocha Squash
Kabocha squash definitely takes a bit of muscle to cut (please be careful and use a heavy cleaver if you have one!).  The skin is perfectly fine to eat, so no need to peel it!  Just make sure you always put the FLAT side of the squash down whenever cutting.  It's much safer that way!
Roasted Kabocha Squash
To ensure evenness in cooking time, try to make the slices all the same thickness.
Roasted Kabocha Squash

Oven Roasted Kabocha Squash
1 kabocha squash
1/4 tsp salt
pepper (to taste)
2 T vegetable oil
truffle oil (optional)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Cut up one kabocha squash into 1-cm thick slices.  You can optionally remove the skin, but there is really no need to remove it.  It's totally edible and is quite soft once roasted.  Lay the pieces in one layer on a pan.  Drizzle with vegetable oil (enough to light cover - about 2 tablespoons) and toss until all sides of the squash are covered with some oil.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper, toss, and then roast for about 20 minutes, or until soft.

Optional: you can easily make a puree just by mashing up the roasted squash with a fork, which is what I did. I pressed the puree into a small triangular mold for the picture.  I did not even remove the skin, which is why you see little green bits in my puree.

Enjoy!
Roasted Kabocha Squash

13 comments :

  1. I cant wait to try this! I was wondering what I could do with those squashes! :)

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  2. I do not know that pumpkin can also be done in this way to make a delicious dish.

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  3. look at that plating! i love any roasted winter squash, but i actually looked it up yesterday and i think kabocha is more of a fall-winter, so I'm guessing the season is done... :(

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  4. looks fabulous. I love cooking with squash too. Yum!

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  5. That looks fantastic. Lovely photos too (and nice tips on Food Blog Forum!)

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  6. I've gotten these a few times in my CSA box but never been able to cut them! Argh! I guess I need a heavier cleaver. Looks so delicious though, love that color!

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  7. Great photo and tasty looking recipe! I love the idea of squash and truffle oil although I haven't tried it. Thanks for sharing!

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  8. That is my favorite squash also! What a refreshing recipe (at least for me!) you created.

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  9. sounds yummy! anything with truffle oil tastes good. try pan-frying different types of mushrooms with truffle oil.

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  10. So delicate and elegant! Beautiful work, as always!!

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  11. My Mom just made these - hers had a spicy bite to it. I wasn't sure if I could eat the skin - it was very tender though.

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  12. My obaachan used to make kabocha simmered in mirin, sugar, a bit of soy sauce and sake - it's a side dish for dinner but very sweet if you like the candy aspect. Sadly I've never seen a kabocha here in Austria where I live now though :(

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  13. Wow, it's so cool to hear about how others make this squash. I actually saw some at the market yesterday, so maybe they are still around!

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