Thursday, April 19, 2012

The Blackest Kabocha Squash On The Planet


4 comments:

CNu said...

Unless you were gunning for that mashed squash consistency, a little less time in the oven at a lower temperature is better.

Work it like sweet potatoes. Blanch or nuke it for a few minutes to slightly soften it for peeling and dicing. Cut the flesh into nice sized dice, coat the dice with olive oil and season with salt, cayenne, and then roast the dice for 30 minutes on a baking sheet at 400 degrees. (you may want to shake up the dice on the baking sheet one time so none of it sticks)

That fast roast at high temperature brings out all the sweetness of the squash without destroying its consistency. For flesh that has to be cured for 2 months after harvesting in order to reach edible sugar conversion, cooking it into mush is a sub-optimal finish.

The roasted diced squash can be enjoyed as is, or tossed with cilantro, lime juice, black beans, onion, red peppers, what have you...,

CNu said...

oops, I almost forgot, it's a superb accompaniment to roasted pork loin along with a little vinegary red cabbage slaw all washed down with a fruity young riesling...,

MEL said...

^^^
?

CNu said...

So last week, I was still on my die-hard oppositional defiant stance with regard to consumption of the swine.

This past weekend, my 12 year old son defeated the number one teen male player at a large tennis club, and demonstrated beyond any doubt that his game is where I thought it was (I've been his primary coach for four years) and has hardcore attracted the attention of the coaching staff at that club from the tennis director on down - it has become imperative to optimize quickness, fitness, etc..,

With that in mind, and in view of the results that Djokovic has gotten by going gluten-free, me and the boy have gone meatless this week as an experiment in dietary optimization.

Oh, and that Kabocha squash in that picture was still overcooked and could have been more deftly prepared given the amount of time it takes to cure one of the suckers before it even comes to market.