Kabocha Muffins

Kabocha = Japanese pumpkin

It's one of my favorite Japanese dishes: delicious, tender, sweet pumpkin simmered in dashi stock with some sugar and perhaps some soy thrown in. I always had big portions of the stuff at "home" in Japan. And let's not forget the oh so delicious tempura fried variety over a bowl of rice. Kabocha is still my favorite part in ten-don and I will gladly trade it for my shrimp. Yum.

I found some kabocha seeds at a local Japanese grocery store, planted them, and now have several pumpkins to consume. So far I've gone through one (as they are supposed to "ripen" for a few months after harvesting) and tried a few recipes.

You can find kabocha at your local grocery store in the fall. If it's not available, you can substitute any kind of cooked fall squash with equally tasty results.

Kabocha Muffins

Ingredients

• 55g butter, softened
• 55g brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 180g kabocha, cooked and mashed
• 110g buttermilk
• 110g whole wheat pastry flour
• 15g baking powder

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line or grease a muffin tin and set aside.
2. In a bowl, cream the butter and sugar. Add in the egg and pumpkin and stir until combined. Stir in the buttermilk.
3. In a separate bowl, mix the flour and baking powder, then fold into the wet ingredients until just blended.
4. Scoop batter into muffin tin about 2/3 of the way up. Bake for 17 minutes until golden and cooked through.
5. Turn out onto a rack to cool.

Makes 12 muffins.

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Farmer's Market Orzo Salad

I used fresh from the garden vegetables to throw together this pasta salad: zucchini and yellow squash. These plants yield huge quantities so it's always good to have a few more recipes in your summertime arsenal. I love this salad for its fresh color and all the cheese; I think its a great way to spice up some summer vegetables that become a bit bland and boring by the end of the summer.

Farmer's Market Orzo Salad

Ingredients

• 1/2 box orzo pasta (about 4 servings)
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, pressed
• 1 small zucchini, cubed
• 1 yellow squash, cubed
• 3-5 sprigs of thyme leaves
• 1 1/2 cups Parmesan cheese, grated

Method

1. In a large saucepan, cook the orzo in boiling water for about 9 minutes until cooked. Drain and set aside.
2. Using the same pan, heat the oil over medium low. Add the onion and garlic, stirring occasionally until caramelized, about 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
3. Meanwhile, prepare the vegetables and grate the cheese. When onions are ready, add the vegetables and thyme and stir, sauteing for three minutes, until the squash and zucchini are slightly cooked but still firm.
4. Add the cheese, then the pasta, and stir until combined. Season once more with salt and pepper to taste.
5. Serve warm or at room temperature.

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a few new things

I found this recipe a while back in Cat Cora's book, Cooking from the Hip. It's one of those "just wait til the season rolls around" recipes I was really excited about. I've never cooked with squash or lentils before, but it sounded so good I had to try it.



Curried Lentils with Butternut Squash

1 cup lentils
1 small butternut squash, cut into chunks
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp curry powder
1 tsp fresh grated ginger
1 tsp chili powder
kosher salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat the oven to 375 and butter an 8x11" dish.
2. In a saucepan, add the lentils and enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, add the squash, and reduce down to a simmer. Cook for 25-30 minutes until liquid is reduced down and squash is tender.
3. Strain liquid from vegetables. Return back to pan and mash the squash lightly.
4. Spoon into the baking dish and bake for 20 minutes until hot.

I served mine over coconut basmati rice (using leftover coconut milk from the cupcakes...) which was delicious!


For dessert, I decided to run with the coconut theme and make some pudding...from another saved recipe.


Warm Banana-Coconut Pudding with Tapioca Pearls

3 cups water
1/3 cup small tapioca pearls
bananas, sliced in half moons
1 14 oz. can coconut milk
1/2 cup sugar
pinch of salt

1. In a saucepan, bring the water to a full boil. Add the tapioca pearls stirring constantly for 1 minute to avoid clumping. Slightly reduce the temperature to a strong simmer, stirring occasionally for 10 minutes or so. The mixute will thicken considerably.
2. Add the coconut milk, sugar, and salt and cook for a couple minutes.
3. Serve hot/warm with banana slices. Garnish with flaked coconut.
   

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