Baked Japanese Kabocha Sausage Food

JAPANESE SIMMERED KABOCHA

Steps:

• Gather all the ingredients.
• In a small saucepan, boil the measured water for the dashi. Once boiling, add the katsuobushi.
• Mix together and turn off the heat. Set aside for 15 minutes. Then, strain the katsuobushi with a fine-mesh sieve. Now you have Katsuo Dashi. Set it aside for now. Reserve the spent katsuobushi to make furikake (rice seasonings).
• Remove the seeds and membrane from the kabocha and microwave it for 2 minutes to soften the outer skin. You can skip microwaving if you have a sharp knife and the strength to cut through the hard kabocha.
• Carefully cut the kabocha into wedges, then equal 2-inch (5 cm) pieces. Remember, we leave the skin on because kabocha skin is edible and nutritious.
• In a large pot, place the kabocha pieces in a single layer, skin side down.
• Add the dashi, sake, and sugar. Tip: Swirl the pot to mix the seasonings so you don't break the kabocha pieces.
• Cook on medium high heat and bring it to a boil.
• Add the soy sauce and salt, and swirl the pot again to mix the seasonings. The cooking liquid should come three-quarters up the sides of the kabocha pieces; if it does not, you can add a little bit of water. Bring it to a boil again.
• Once boiling, turn the heat to medium low to maintain a simmer. Cover with an otoshibuta (drop lid) and cook for 20-30 minutes (depending on the size of your kabocha pieces and how long it takes the skin to cook). You can tell it's done when the orange flesh of the kabocha has tiny, thin cracks near the skin or a bamboo skewer pierces the kabocha easily. If you feel that the liquid is evaporating too fast, you can cover the pot with a pot lid (with the otoshibuta still placed on top of the kabocha).
• Remove from the heat and let the kabocha sit covered with a pot lid until cool, about 30 minutes. This helps the kabocha absorb more flavor as it cools. You can serve it at room temperature or reheat before serving.

SAUSAGE AND CHEESE-STUFFED KABOCHA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• Pour 2 cups of boiling water over the dried porcini and let sit while you prep your other steps, 10 to 15 minutes.
• Peel, de-seed and medium dice the kabocha squash. Pour onto a baking sheet, sprinkle with salt and pepper and drizzle with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Roast in the oven for about 30 minutes to cook through.
• In the meantime, use a small serrated paring knife to remove the top of the pumpkin wide enough to later fill the pumpkin stuffing and scoop out the seeds.
• Dice the baguette and place in the oven on a sheet pan to make croutons, about 5 minutes.
• In a large skillet over medium heat cook the Italian sausage breaking it up into little pieces and cook it all the way through. Remove it from the pan leaving the grease. Now add the onions and garlic and cook, stirring, until softened, 5 to 8 minutes.
• While the onions are cooking, take the porcinis that are re-hydrating in the hot water, wring them out and give them a rough chop. Remove the cooked onions and put in a large bowl with the Italian sausage. In the same skillet, add the sliced white mushrooms, chopped porcinis along with 1/2 cup of the mushroom liquid and cook for about 5 minutes. Remove and add to the large bowl with the sausage mixture.
• Add the cooked kabocha and croutons to the sausage bowl. Mix well and add the ginger, paprika, nutmeg, salt and pepper.
• Add the milk and heavy cream to a saucepan and bring it to a simmer.
• To assemble: Sprinkle the inside of the pumpkin with salt and pepper. Add a layer of the sausage mixture, some of the heated milk-cream mixture, add a layer of Gruyere and continue by pressing down repeating the layering process until the pumpkin is completely full. Place the top of the pumpkin back on, put it in a 9- by 13-inch baking dish and fill with 1- to 2-inches of warmed water. Bake until it's cooked through, about 1 1/2 hours
• Serve by scraping the inside of the pumpkin and getting some of the pumpkin flesh along with the filling to serve warm.

BAKED JAPANESE KABOCHA & SAUSAGE

Steps:

• Cut the squash in half lengthwise, seed and place in a glass baking dish (cut side up) filled with about 1/2 an inch of water. Salt & pepper generously and add about 2 tablespoons butter to each half. Bake at 375 for 45min-1hr, brushing the flesh with the melted butter periodically. Brown & crumble the sausage in a non-stick frying pan over med-high heat; add the diced onion towards the end & cook until softened. Add the broth, raisins, pine nuts and apple and cook for about 2 minutes longer. Remove the squash from the oven and spoon in the sausage mixture into the squash halves; bake for about 15 min. Spoon out the squash and sausage mixture into individual dishes, leaving the squash in soft, buttery chunks and roughly mix. Serve immediately. Can add parmesan cheese on top if you like.

JAPANESE (KABOCHA) PUMPKIN

Steps:

• Cut pumpkin in half. Clean out seeds and rinse leaving the skin on. Cut into bite-sized pieces and set aside. Combine remaining ingredients in a large pot over medium heat and stir until sugar dissolves. Add pumpkin and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring once. Continue to simmer another 10 minutes or until done. Pumpkin is done when it is easily pierced with a fork or toothpick. Do not overcook or the pumpkin will become mushy.
• Dried shrimp, ebi, can be found in the oriental section of most supermarkets. You can use shrimp bullion or fish stock instead.
• Nutrition information: Calories 70, Fat 2 g., Cholesterol 6 mg., sodium 97 mg. 1 bread exchange. ww points 2.

JAPANESE STYLE SIMMERED SWEET KABOCHA

Steps:

• Cut kabocha into small chunks about 1 and 1/2 inch cube.
• Leave skin on (the texture of the cooked skin is great!).
• Put dashi soup stock, sugar, soy sauce, and kabocha chunks in a pan.
• Place the pan in high heat and bring it to boil.
• Turn down the heat to low.
• Simmer kabocha until the liquid is almost gone.
• Serve warm or cold. (I prefer it cold).