Kabocha squash or Japanese pumpkin is an ugly thing. Green and often kind of knobby and gnarly on the outside. Although sometimes there are nicer looking, smoother skins (wait, am I talking squash or facials? :p).

The kabocha available at the Chinese supermarket last week were an ugly bunch. Large and ugly. I don’t usually buy such big ones but I had a hankering for oven-roasted squash!

So here it is – one kabocha squash done three ways!

Oven roasted kabocha squash, sprinkled with olive oil, salt and pepper

(Bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes until soft).

You could leave the skin on – it is edible and kind of tasty, and I guess nutritious? But the squash I bought was kind of sandy on the outside and didn’t look very tasty.

Spaghetti with garlicky sauteed kale, oven-roasted kabocha squash (as above, cut into cubes) and crispy bacon, sprinkled with parmesan cheese. Inspired by a recipe from a Donna Hay magazine.

Then a kabocha squash bread, that is, a pumpkin bread recipe (this one by Brown Eyed Baker). I substituted the canned pumpkin for kabocha (microwaved until soft and mashed), reduced the sugar to 2 1/4 cups (kabocha squash seems to me a bit sweeter than pumpkin), replaced the nutmeg (didn’t have any) with a pinch of cinnamon and all spice. No nuts because of Wee Reader’s allergy. Moist, gently sweet, and kabocha-y! Yum!

A note to those new to kabochas, it is a tough one to crack. A sharp knife, some muscle work and plenty of patience!

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