Timely topic
I just made butternut squash last night. Cubed, seasoned and roasted.
Love the how the sugars caramelize
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Looks wonderful. Now dinner’s already on my mind.
Yes! Winter squash is great in any kind of indian curry dish. Great in a coconut milk base with whatever curry paste you like, some red lentils and the cubed squash- lots of actual recipes out there that are similar. Makes for a fairly easy one pot meal, great for fall/winter dinners.
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Kecap Manis is one of my favorite sauces/condiments. In Oselund’s “Cradle of Flavor” he has a great dipping sauce that combines lime juice with Kecap Manis and some other ingredients. He suggests this for Chicken Satay, but the sauce is so delicious, we enjoy it with other items as well.
The lime juice balances the sweetness of the Kecap Manis in the most complimentary way.
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I was just wishing I knew more about what to do with my newly acquired condiments, Kecap Manis and sambal manis. Thanks to you, I may have my answers.
Dug this up partly as a result of the sweet potato thread,
partly because I bought a kamboucha squash from my CSA as a result, and partly because we have had unseasonably cool-for-us weather, making me think I can think “fall/autumn” along with everyone else, rather than on California time.
My biggest question is about cutting before vs after cooking, and whether how you will proceed matters. I’ve cooked a lot of butternut squash, but this peel seems thicker, and the squash doesn’t seem like it has a huge flesh:fruit ratio.
I want a concentated flavor, and a dry result, and might use it in a curry, but would love to use it in a a cold/room temp salad prep, like the original post.
This kamboucha looks hard to peel.
What if I microwave or roast a bit before peeling and cutting?
Maybe like @biondanonima said, what if I use the microwave to partially cook/soften harder squash so that they’re easier to cut up for roasting?
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Yes, it’s a great plan to roast the kabocha squash before peeling. Otherwise, it’s a major PITA & your hands will be tired! I’ve used it in a risotto, which was excellent. Would be great in many other preps, but I haven’t tried, due to the fact it’s not mainstream in markets here typically, and also because of the hard shell. I can easily find it in the specialty stores though.
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Kabocha peel is edible. I make this fairly often:
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Kabocha is one of the winter squashes I have yet to use. If the peel is particularly hard, I would probably try roasting the squash whole then seeing if the skin was soft enough to cut after 20 minutes or so? I do like splitting winter squash at least in half so that the flesh will dry a bit and the sugars will concentrate during baking. I’m good with a wetter texture when using the squash in a bread or as a filling for a tart or pasta.
P.S. Sometimes we get a big Hubbard squash chunk from our fall CSA. It looks like they might crack those mega squash open outdoors with a small axe? 
I’ll have to ask in the coming months if we get a chunk of Hubbard.
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That recipe and the reviews sound perfect for today.
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A 3 pound 15 ounce squash and it seems done way sooner than 3 hours at 300 F. This was about 1.5 hours.
Yep. Way done. Not going to be a salad.
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I did not even weigh the butternut squash I had. It was impossible to cut it into wedges myself to roast, so I roast them in the. oven at 400 degrees for one hour 15 minutes .Iit was soft with the skin was slightly charred as well. I discard the few seeds and some of the stringy stuff but have not tried to cook it . Perhaps,I will just puree it tomorrow ( very busy day next 2 days with contractors here) and have it as a side dish with baked or grilled wild salmon. I tasted it and it was sweet! I had been giving away my butternut squash bec they were really difficult for me to cut up. as well as the fact that I am working non stop on those evening primrose. Extension Service told me I had to dig the roots as far as 6 inches below so they will not return. I did dig that far down and found some roots there. I can only manage 10 square foot a day. I still have one butternut squash on my counter that I want to roast with beets next week.
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There’s a lot of butter and cheese in this recipe!
Kabocha cooks fast. I’ve only ever cut it up and simmered it. Oh, and made it into pie.
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Your kabocha purée looks so good. Though I realize it isn’t the result you wanted. 
There’s a Lebanese dish called baked pumpkin kibbeh, which I have yet to master, that I would be thinking of.
Or in this transitional time of year, a mound of spiced squash mash next to a grilled steak or pork chop/slice of pork roast + peppery greens dressed in olive oil.
Oops, my imagination is now running rampant so I will curb my enthusiasm.
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My apologies if someone already posted a similar recipe. My favorite is roasting chunks of butternut squash or slices of delicata squash and wedges of apple on a pan with biso chicken thighs. Season with a little white wine, olive oil, salt, and pumpkin pie spice. Bake for 55 - 60 minutes at 350. Delicious, easy, and makes the house smell great.
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I’ve read that people use to haul Hubbards to the second floor and drop them out of a window to break them into pieces!!
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Grew and harvested an heirloom variety of a blue Hubbard squash a few years ago; had never cooked with them before, and that big squash was a pure devil!! Somehow I got it peeled from a raw state, so I can appreciate the advice to drop it 
my poor hands and arms…
One of my favorite preparations of winter squash, is the following, roasted on a sheet pan. Cubes of butternut or similar squash, couple links of mild or hot Italian sausage, removed from casings, and crumbled - cook til done. Season with oregano, marjoram, or Italian seasoning. Meanwhile, cook some orecchiette pasta until done to preference, then wilt some chopped fresh kale in the hot pasta water; drain well, and combine all with the sausage and squash. Add some Parmesan cheese and enjoy. If you want it to be extra, add some caramelized onions. Yum.
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