Squash's flavor, if not name, is now familiar
The greatest thing about autumn is the harvest of winter squash -- and we're in high season.
Inexpensive, nutritious, easy to prepare and filling, butternut, acorn and even spaghetti squashes tend to get the spotlight in the cornucopia. But in recent years, the kabocha squash has started to edge its way into the mainstream. The draw, one chef says, is its subtle nuttiness and delicate sweetness that blends -- not overpowers -- other vegetables in a warm salad or even a soup.
Kabocha squash is the centerpiece of the seasonal favorite, Harvest Pumpkin Soup, at national chain Au Bon Pain, which has several downtown soup-and-sandwich spots.
"I think it is sweeter and nuttier and it's got a more wholesome taste to it than [a traditional squash]. It's much more flavorful," said Thomas John, executive chef and senior vice president of food and beverage for the 30-year-old Boston-based Au Bon Pain.
Roasted kabocha is simmered alongside onion, sweet corn, celery and carrot in a light vegetable broth and seasoned with cinnamon, nutmeg, clove and ginger. It is pureed into an earthy, sweet and buttery offering.
The fruit of the gourd family, kabocha -- pronounced (ka-BOO-chuh) -- is no different from its winter squash siblings, with its thick, protective rind.
A shade of jade with paler green striping on the outside, the kabocha's interior is pale orange flesh.
Bake or steam the kabocha and watch the tough flesh become soft, nutty sweet flavor.
The kabocha is normally 2 to 3 pounds in size. The Food Lover's Companion advises shoppers to look for a vegetable that is dull green and firm, without soft spots.
Retailing for about 99 cents per pound and up, the squash is in the produce aisle -- and popular -- at Whole Foods Market stores in the city and suburbs, Whole Grain Fresh Market, an Asian grocery at 665 Pasquinelli, Westmont, as well as the Super H Mart in Niles and Naperville.
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