Japanese Farm Food  by Nancy Singleton Hachisu Serves 6

The original recipe calls for Kabocha squash, but sugar pie pumpkin is a good substitute.
*3 TB best-quality Miso
6 TB Sake
1 1/3 lbs  of Sugar Pie Pumpkin
3 TB cold pressed Sesame Oil
2 whole dried Red Peppers, torn in half

Muddle the miso with 3 TB of the sake in a small bowl.  Peel the squash, and cut into bite sized portions.  Heat the oil with the dried red peppers in a large wok or skillet over medium-low heat until the peppers turn bright red and become aromatic.  Throw in the pumpkin and toss to coat the pieces with oil.  Splash in the remaining 3 TB of sake and toss once to distribute.  Cover and cook, stirring occasionally for about 6 minutes, until the pumpkin slices have softened through to the skin.  Add the miso-sake mixture, stirring carefully to evenly coat the slices without smashing or breaking them.  Serve hot, at room temperature, or cold the next day. Ratio: oil:miso:sake - 1:1:2

*A note about Miso. Miso is a fantastic flavor ingredient and has amazing healing properties.  There are many varieties of miso, red, white, brown, barley, soy, etc.  When choosing a miso always buy organic.  I buy a very delicious fresh Miso from Aedan Fermented Foods who often have a stand at the Saturday Ferry Plaza Farmers Market, but they told me their products are also available at GoodEggs.com.  They are super sweet people, extremely dedicated to their craft.