Warming winter squash

My favorite squashes are Kabocha, a Japanese squash (with a thin skin that I can easily cut thru and leave on) and Butternut squash (if it’s the pre-peeled/pre-cut packaged kind). And my favorite way to cook squash is to roast them in the oven till they get crisp and caramelized.

Cumin Roasted Squash with Orange and Thyme

• 1/2 Kabocha squash or 1.5lb of Butternut squash
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 1/2 tsp of coarse sea salt or kosher salt
• 1 tsp of whole cumin seeds or ½ tsp of ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp coarse fresh ground pepper
• 1 orange, juiced and zest
• 1 tbsp of fresh thyme or 1 1/2 tsp of dried thyme

Preheat oven to 425°.
Cut squash into one and a half inch pieces.
Pour oil into a large cast iron pan or roasting pan.
Add in squash and mix in pan till they are coated in oil.
Then sprinkle on salt and spices, mix thoroughly.
Place in oven for about 20-25mins, turn them every 10min with tongs or flip them with spatula.
Zest the orange, and then juice it.
Mix zest and thyme in the orange juice.
Put the hot squash and juice into serving bowl, stir to incorporate.

You can skip the orange juice as a dressing altogether. The roasted squash on its own is already perfect, a sweet interior with a savory crisp exterior.

  –L