Japanese Simmered Squash
I see a need for some competition, so here's a squash recipe from a different tradition.
Japanese Simmered Squash
1 kabocha squash (or other very dense, dry variety)
good soy sauce/shoyu (I like the Japanese-made Yamasa, but my husband is Japanese and has turned me into a shoyu snob!)
granulated sugar
Scrub squash, cut in half, and remove seeds. Cut each half into wedges about 3/4 inch thick at the skin side. Using a vegetable peeler, peel off most (but not all) of the skin, very thinly (you want to leave streaks for color contrast).
Lay the wedges in a big flat-bottomed skillet. Add water to come halfway up, enough shoyu to color the water noticeably, and a generous sprinkling of sugar.
Bring liquid to a simmer, and cook gently, turning slices once or twice, until squash is tender and liquid is mostly gone. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Don't add salt, and go light on the shoyu the first time - don't forget you're reducing the flavors of about 2 cups of liquid to about a quarter cup liquid at the end. This is about as basic a recipe as it gets, but it's really good!
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