Oh My Gourd (1/22/11)

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Kabocha Squash Bowl Filled With Sauteed Vegetables and Cashews

Serves 6-8

I love winter squash—the sweetness and earthiness of the Kabocha is a wonderful contrast to the spicy/salty Asian vegetables that are inside.

1 Kabocha squash (a BIG one–4 1/2 to 5 lb.)
2 Tablespoons olive oil
sea salt and pepper to taste
1 red onions, thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tablespoons fresh minced ginger
2 carrots, julienned
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1/2 lb shiitake or portabella mushrooms
1 cup snow peas (about 1/2 lb), julienned
1/2 cup vegetable broth
2 Tablespoons cooking sherry or mirin (Chinese rice wine)
2 Tablespoons tamari
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1 cup raw or tamari roasted cashews

Preheat oven to 375°. Rinse squash and pat dry. Cut around stem to make a 4-inch lid. Remove lid and scrape out and discard seeds. Rub interior of squash with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Set lid back on squash and place in a baking pan. Bake for 40-50 minutes or until you can pierce the squash with a knife. The squash will continue to cook when you take it out, plus you want it to stand up nicely for display, so don’t overcook it. Set aside.

Meanwhile, heat oil in a large skillet. Add onions, garlic, ginger, carrots and peppers and sauté for 5 minutes, stirring frequently or until onions are clear. Add mushrooms and a sprinkle of salt and pepper and sauté 3 minutes, or until mushrooms are cooked. Add snow peas, vegetable broth, mirin, tamari and cayenne and simmer for 3-5 minutes. Sprinkle in cashews.

Spoon vegetable and cashew mixture into cooked Kabocha. To serve, use a sharp knife to cut thorough the squash in wedges (almost like a pie) and serve each squash wedge mounded with vegetables.

Make it the Main Dish: Add 2 8-oz packages of Turtle Island Sesame Ginger Tempeh Strips when you add the mushrooms.