Cyn Cady
If your response is “ Gesundheit , ” you understandably need to be crystallise . Although it sounds like a sneezing ( especially when pronounced clamorously and with neat accent , ) a kabocha is not a harbinger of a filthy head cold or that pesky cat allergic reaction rearing its ugly head , but rather a lumpy , invisible orb of deliciousness . I am spill , my multitude , about : The Kabocha Squash .
Even as squash go , the kabocha is not very attractive . It ’s squat , it ’s lumpy , and the skin is a grey green that one might associate with a dead gator . Do not let this deter you . Inside the kabocha is a glowing light , a masses of tender orange flesh , a heaping pile of yumbo .
I first converge the kabocha when my friend Barb , who is The Discoverer of New Vegetables in my little work party of witches , bought one at the granger market last twelvemonth . I looked on with distaste as Barb nestle the squash while paying the Farmer Dude . But subsequently , at a potluck , Barb transformed the reptilian veg into a can of golden deliciousness , with balsamic and salvia .
I know , I know : Right now , you are crinkling your nose and preparing to say , “ Ew ! I hate all squash vine that ever subsist , and I am still in therapy because my mother made me wipe out zucchini . ” But you require to let your judgment give and adopt the un - squash that is kabocha .
After the life story - changing potluck , my first act was to rush out and purchase a kabocha of my own . I followed Barb ’s recipe with great success . I buy another , and roasted it in coconut oil and curry . Winner ! I corrupt another and roast and mashed it with crispy kale and garlic .
Clearly , I had to produce many , many kabocha plant life . One of the welfare of this squash racquets , in improver to its lusciousness , is its shelf life . A store - bought kabocha can keep you party in your kitchen for months and still be just as pleasant-tasting . I did get some feeling from the family people when I delineate a face on one with a felt pen and spent several weeks calling it “ Oscar ” before hacking it up and roasting it with almonds , cayenne and olive oil .
I filled an entire bed with kabocha seeds , saved from the storage - bribe squash vine , and I ’m reaping the benefits . My homegrown darlings are smaller , but that just makes them precious , and they ’re equally delectable . I witness a red type that resembles a small , ugly pumpkin with intense orange peel , even though I had long ago receive over the reptilian appearance of the gray variety . I can stash away these little darlings for months , which apparently even amend the flavor .
I ’m looking forward to enjoy kabochas all through the winter . I ’ve got to stop naming them , though . It piss it a fiddling difficult to whack them in half with a chopper , and I still kinda pretermit Oscar .
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