roasted kabocha squash with cumin and cinnamon

 

(serves 2, with enough for a hearty lunch leftover.)

roasted kabocha squash with cumin and cinammon

1 kabocha squash, cut into 1-inch chunks
2 tsp cumin seeds
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp cinammon
2 tsp brown sugar
1 tsp sea salt
1 small bay leaf, crushed
1 tbsp + 2 tsp olive oil

First, peel the squash and chop into 1-inch chunks. Put the chunks into a bowl. (Reserve the seeds separately).

Preheat the oven to 375 F.

Add the spices and the bay leaf into a mortar and grind for a few minutes (basically, until the bay leaf is reduced to small pieces). Don't worry if the cumin seeds are still whole, they look pretty spread randomly across the squash.

Shake the spices onto the squash. Add the olive oil, making sure the oil is well distributed, coating all the pieces of squash.



Spread the squash in a baking sheet and bake for 25-30 minutes, until fully cooked.