Roasted Kabocha Squash Japanese Pumpkin Food

ROASTED KABOCHA SQUASH

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Place kabocha squash wedges cut-side up in a baking pan. Brush lightly with olive oil. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt.
• Bake in the preheated oven until tender when pierced with a knife, 35 to 40 minutes.

ROASTED KABOCHA SQUASH | JAPANESE PUMPKIN

Steps:

• First option: The skin of the kabocha squash is tough to cut into so start by cutting off the stem of the kabocha to reveal the orange flesh. The flesh is much easier to cut into than the skin. Using a heavy duty knife or cleaver, stick the pointy end of your knife into the flesh and cut into the kabocha all the way down by using a rocking motion. Cut the other end of the kabocha so that you end up with 2 halves. Scoop out the seeds with a spoon and cut your kabocha into 6 or 7 wedges.
• Second option: You can microwave the whole kabocha until it's soft enough to cut into. Start by microwaving it for about 2 minutes and increase by 90 seconds at a time until you can cut it in half. Microwaving times will vary by microwave and the size of the kabocha. Scoop out the seeds with a spoon and cut your kabocha into 6 or 7 wedges.
• Third option: Loosely cover with foil and place the entire whole kabocha squash into a preheated 375 degree F oven for 15 minutes or until soft to cut into. Completely cool it off and then cut it in half. Scoop out the seeds with a spoon and cut your kabocha into 6 or 7 wedges.
• Preheat your oven to 400°F. Liberally apply oil to the surface of the kabocha squash wedges. Add additional flavorings now. Place the wedges skin side down on a baking sheet and place it on the center rack of your oven. Bake them for 35 minutes or until the surface becomes a golden brown color. Sprinkle with salt.

KABOCHA SQUASH PIE (JAPANESE PUMPKIN PIE)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Stir the graham cracker crumbs together with the flour in a mixing bowl. Mix in the soy butter until the mixture is crumbly. Make a well in the middle of the flour mixture. Pour in the soy milk, and stir to make a soft dough. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead briefly. Wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for about 20 minutes.
• Roll out the dough onto a lightly floured surface to about 1/4 inch thick. Fit the crust into a 7 inch diameter pie plate. Use a fork to poke holes in the bottom.
• Bake the crust in the preheated oven until pale gold, about 15 minutes. Cool on a rack.
• Pour about 1 inch of water into the bottom of a pan. Place the kabocha into a steamer basket fitted into the pan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium, cover, and steam the squash until tender and easily pierced with a fork, about 15 minutes. Cool.
• Place the kabocha into a blender or bowl of a food processor, and blend until smooth. Stir the tofu, vanilla, sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg into the kabocha mixture, and blend until very smooth. Pour into the prepared crust.
• Bake in preheated oven until center is set, about 20 minutes. Do not overbake or the filling will crack.

ROASTED KABOCHA (JAPANESE PUMPKIN) SOUP

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350F / 175°C.
• Cut kabocha in half, scoop out seeds and membranes, and set aside.
• Prick the kabocha flesh with a fork, brush with olive oil and place face down on a baking dish. Bake for about 40 mins at 350F/175°C or until tender.
• While the kabocha is roasting, clean and dry the seeds (as best you can) and toast them in a dry pan on med-high heat for about 5 minutes or until nicely golden brown and set aside. Alternately, you can bake them in the oven for about 10-20 minutes at 400F / 200°C.
• In a large pot, saute sliced onion in butter until soft.
• When the kabocha is soft, carefully (it's hot!) scoop the flesh in chunks out of the skin and add to the pot with onions. Alternately, you can wait for it too cool or roast it already peeled.
• Add the bouillon powder, water and cinnamon, and simmer for about 20 minutes. Cover the pot to keep it from splattering.
• Pour the mixture into a large bowl. In batches, puree the mixture in a blender (only fill about 3/4 or less full), and add it back to the pan. If you have an immersion blender, even better, and you can just puree it all in the pan.
• Stir in the milk and heat gently over low heat, stirring frequently. Mix in salt and pepper to taste, ladle into bowls and top with toasted seeds.