Let's Talk Kabocha

I don't mean to pressure you guys, but it is Fall and you really need to jump on this squash thing.  Sure Halloween is coming and everyone has pumpkins in the back of their minds, but did you know Kabocha means pumpkin in Japanese?  It's true.  Did you also know you can eat the skin on a Kabocha squash?  Seriously!  And hey Thanksgiving isn't that far away; maybe we should all start to test kitchen some dishes for the family.  So check this out: our friends (well, everyone's friends) at PBS posted this delicious recipe for mashed Kabocha squash.  It sounds good and looks just lovely.  The bright orange color is very Fall, very Halloween, and who knows...maybe very Thanksgiving in a month?

Mashed Kabocha

Ingredients

1 medium kabocha pumpkin (2-3 pounds)

6 tablespoons unsalted butter

3/4 cup half and half

1 teaspoon salt

100 grams gruyere cheese, shredded

Ingredients1 medium kabocha pumpkin (2-3 pounds)6 tablespoons unsalted butter3/4 cup half and half1 teaspoon salt100 grams gruyere cheese, shredded

Directions

Cut the pumpkin in half and scoop out all the seeds and pith. Peel all the green skin off the pumpkin and cut into 1” chunks. Prepare a steamer and steam the pumpkin until tender (15-20 minutes).

Mash the steamed pumpkin, or pass it through a potato ricer. In a microwave safe bowl, combine the butter, half and half and salt and heat for 1 minute, or until the salt and butter are melted.

Pour half the heated cream mixture into the mashed Kabocha and stir to combine. Continue adding the cream mixture and stirring until you are happy with the texture (you may not need all of it). Add the cheese and stir to combine.

Yield: 6-8 servings