In Praise of Kabocha Squash

I first tasted Kabocha Squash about six years ago, when I lived in California. It’s practically a fall and winter staple food there, and in the test kitchens at Sunset magazine, where I worked at the time, we came up with all manner of ways to stew, roast, and steam it.

Kabocha is a winter squash originally from Japan, which explains why it first made inroads on the West Coast and then made its way east. I love it for its sweet, nutty flavor and silky texture. In fact, I find it even smoother than acorn or butternut squashes, particularly when roasted. So I’m happy to see it showing up in more and more supermarkets (I bought mine at a Whole Foods outside of Boston).

And roasting is just about my favorite way to prepare kabocha: done simply with butter, brown sugar, and my apple butter. Here’s how.

First, cut the squash in halve, scoop out the seeds, and then cut each half into four wedges.

Dot each wedge with about 1 teaspoon salted butter, 1 teaspoon brown sugar, and about 1 tablespoon apple butter.

Bake at 375° until tender and lightly browned at the edges, 30 to 35 minutes.

Enjoy!