After roasting for the squash for over an hour, the flesh becomes creamy, sweet, but retains nuttiness. The scent of the browning onions along with the cream and cheese adds richness and depth to this dish, while the kale and mushrooms deepened the flavor.
By Joyti Jit
If you are so lucky as to be in the Fiji Islands, you’ll truly notice how perfection takes time. There is a lovely sense of slowness all around the islands: in the friendly, relaxed demeanor of the Fijian people, the pristine white sand beaches, the ancient rain forests, the still more ancient volcanic rock that makes up the islands themselves. This slow perfection is reflected in the water of Fiji: water that begins as a tropical rainfall and is filtered gradually by Fiji’s ancient volcanic rock. If you’re not so lucky as to be in the Fiji Islands themselves, you can get a small taste of this feeling with a sip of Fiji Water. 
That perfect slowness of the Fiji Islands, reflected so exquisitely in the soft, smooth taste of Fiji Water, was at the forefront of mind while creating this dish. The water of Fiji begin high above the tropical jungles, comes down through the tropical green tangles, and picks up minerals and electrolytes through its rock. Thus, the water captures the very essence of Fiji. Although this dish isn’t something traditionally eaten in Fiji , it does capture something of the spirit of Fiji and its water, as all three perfected over time. In Fiji, food is something to be savored, and meals are long, involving many dishes, almost always eaten with friends and family. Perhaps most famous is the Fijian lovo, dishes of meat and vegetable wrapped in banana leaves and cooked in an Earthen pit lined with heated volcanic rocks (the same volcanic rock that filters Fiji Water). Instead of roasting in an outdoor pit, this stuffed pumpkin is slowly roasted into perfection.
I chose the blue Hokkaido pumpkin for its beautiful pale sea blue color, a color that reminded me of the clear waters of the Fiji Islands and Fiji Water. After roasting for over an hour, the flesh of this pumpkin becomes very creamy, sweet, but retains a slight nuttiness. The scent of the browning onions evokes the dishes that my Fiji-born mother created, a scent that always takes me back through time to childhood. The heavy cream and cheese added the richness and depth to this dish, while the kale and mushrooms deepened the flavor.
Get this and many other Perfection Takes Time Recipes here or visit FIJI Water’s homepage.
This post is part of “Perfection Takes Time”, a partnership between Honest Cooking and FIJI Water.
