Roasted Kabocha Squash

This weekend I took a short road trip up to NYC to visit two of my very close friends from college. It was so great getting out of Baltimore for a day to experience a new city and catch up with friends who I don't get to see anymore! One of my favorite parts was getting to cook dinner with my friend, Val, who is also a huge foodie like me and a great cook. She and I, along with two other of our close friends, who shared our passion for food, cooked up some pretty extravagant meals throughout college in our tiny dorm and apartment kitchens. Some of my best memories from college involve cooking with my friends and sitting down around one table to share the food we all helped to make. Nothing is better than sharing a home-cooked meal with those you love.  So this post is dedicated to Val who introduced me to Kabocha squash and hosted me at her apartment for the night... and to Niki and Kayla who I wish could have have been there with us :-)

Now what the heck is Kabocha squash? Hey, I'm with you- It was totally new to me before this weekend, but now I can say for sure that this is a MUST-TRY Japanese variety of winter squash that you should be able to find at your local farmers' market this time of year.

It's very similar to butternut or acorn squash, but it has an even more bright orange-yellow color (hellooo beta-carotene!), a strong yet sweet flavor, and a moist texture kind of like a sweet potato.  The bright dark green skin is edible, which I was unsure about at first, but it definitely is. The skin gets soft when cooked and just has a slightly different texture; the squash takes great with and without the skin so it's up to you.  We just did a simple roast with a little bit of olive oil, salt and pepper- so tasty!

ROASTED KABOCHA SQUASH

Ingredients:
1 kabocha squash
olive oil
salt/pepper

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Wash the squash, chop in half, scoop out the seeds (which you can save to roast!), and cut into thin slices.
3. Arrange the slices on a cookie sheet and toss in about 1tblsp or so of olive oil and salt/pepper.
4. Roast for about 20-30 minutes until soft and lightly golden brown. ENJOY!