Roasted Squash with Pumpkin Seed Oil
Photo: Ajna Jai / Contributor
Kabocha, a type of Japanese squash that comes into season during winter, not only tastes a whole lot like a pumpkin — it tastes better than a pumpkin. I use it in many recipes, from sweet pies to savory, spicy soups. However, for the first time ever, I recently put it together with a natural raw pumpkin seed oil.
This summer, my youngest boy, Noah, hand-carried a bottle of Styrian pumpkin seed oil for me from his time in Austria, visiting his grandmother. I had never seen anything like it before — emerald green, shiny, almost tarlike cold-pressed oil that tasted of smoky dark walnuts and pumpkin seeds, which paired beautifully with roasted squash. I have since used it to top yogurt, chopped salads, roasted figs and to dip warm bread in.