A hectic week has prevented me from making several recipes I’d been planning on, but I did get around to tackling this funky little item, the kabocha.

I’d never heard of a kabocha until my friend Danielle told me about it.  It’s a Japanese winter squash, also referred to as the Japanese pumpkin, and as I discovered online, “Some cultures even consider it to be an aphrodisiac.”

Well, then.

I found these squat squashes at Kam Sen in White Plains and pulled up a recipe for roasted kabocha with cumin salt on the Epicurious iPhone app:

1 tsp cumin seeds
1 bay leaf
1/4 tsp smoked paprika or regular paprika
2 tsp brown sugar
1 tsp sea salt
1 kabocha
1 tbsp olive oil

To make the cumin salt, toast the seeds in a dry skillet for one minute, then grind them up with the bay leaf, paprika, brown sugar and salt in a food processor or coffee grinder.

Now you want to “partially peel” the kabocha.  Whoever discovered this thing and deemed it edible must have been pretty hungry, because this a very firm squash that requires a sharp knife. Not the easiest thing to peel.

I tried using a vegetable peeler — didn’t get very far and it bent my peeler.  Turned to the trusty chef’s knife and cut away the skin like I would with a pineapple or a jicama.  The aroma of the peeled kabocha was reminiscent of a cucumber.

It’s when you split the kabocha in half though, that it becomes clear why it’s called the Japanese pumpkin.

Scoop out the seeds and slice the kabocha into 1-inch cubes.

Toss the cubed kabocha with the cumin salt.

Onto a roasting sheet and into a 375 degree oven for 20-25 minutes, until the kabocha’s tender.

Mmm.  It’s a meaty, rich squash, with a mellow flavor that takes well to the sweet/savory cumin salt. Makes a really nice side dish.

I love squash in general, and the kabocha seems especially versatile — I’d like to try it next in soups and stews; I bet you could even make a dessert out of it.  Better yet, cook up a kabocha on Valentine’s Day to take advantage of its “special” properties…