STUFFED BUTTERNUT SQUASH

It's lovely when the weather starts to get a bit colder to have some baked vegetables. This butternut pumpkin is real comfort food. It is so easy to make and it tastes so good!! You can have it as a vegetarian dish and serve it with a salad or you can add some meat or chicken. A great recipe from 'River Cottage Everyday! Check the variations at the end of the recipe. 😍

INGREDIENTS
1 medium butternut squash
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
50g butter
olive oil
75g walnuts, lightly toasted and coarsely chopped
100g blue cheese, crumbled into small lumps
2 tsp fresh thyme leaves
1 Tbsp runny honey
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

METHOD: 
Preheat oven to 190°C.
Make sure the outside of the squash is scrubbed clean. Cut the squash in half lengthways and scoop out the seeds and soft fibres. Put in a roasting dish, add the chopped garlic and a nut of butter to each cavity, then brush with a little oil and season well.

Place in the preheated oven and bake for 45-60 minutes, until the flesh feels very tender when pierced with the tip of a knife.

Scoop the soft flesh and all the buttery, garlicky juices out into a bowl, leaving a 1 cm thick layer of flesh still attached to the skin, so the squash holds its shape.

Roughly mash the flesh. Keep back a few pieces of walnut and a little of the cheese, then fold the remaining walnuts and cheese into the soft squash, along with the thyme and some more salt and pepper.

Spoon the filling back into the empty squash halves and scatter on the reserved cheese and walnuts. Finish with the merest trickle of honey.

Return the squash to the oven and bake for 15 minutes or until the cheese is bubbling.

Serve with a crisp green salad 

or some meat or chicken.

Serves 2 as a Main or 4 as an Entrée

VARIATIONS:
Crisp bacon-stuffed squash
Chop 4 rashers of smoked streaky bacon and fry for a minute or two until crisp and golden. Stir these into the soft squash flesh, along with about 50g finely grated Gruyère cheese, a tablespoon of chopped chives and plenty of black pepper. top with a little more grated Gruyère before returning to the oven.

Crème fraîche and herb-stuffed squash
Add 1 teaspoon each of finely chopped basil, thyme and oregano to the mashed squash, stir in 3-4 tablespoons of crème fraîche and season very well before returning to the oven,.

Stuffed pumpkin with Moroccan-spiced lamb

Ingredients

1 whole butternut pumpkin, halved lengthways

2 tbs olive oil

1/2 small brown onion, finely chopped

500g Lamb Mince

1 tbs Moroccan seasoning

1 tbs tomato paste

1 tbs honey

2 tbs flaked almonds, toasted

2 tbs pomegranate seeds (optional)

Method

STEP 1

Preheat oven to 180°C. Line a large baking tray with baking paper. Use a spoon to scoop out the pumpkin seeds and discard. Use a small sharp knife to score a diamond pattern onto the cut side of the pumpkin. Place the pumpkin, cut-side up, on the lined tray and brush with half the oil. Bake for 1 hour or until the pumpkin is tender.

STEP 2

Meanwhile, heat the remaining oil in a medium frying pan over high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring, for 2 mins or until onion softens. Add the mince and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon to break up lumps, for 5 mins or until the mince changes colour. Add the Moroccan seasoning and cook for 30 secs or until aromatic. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring, for 5 mins or until the mixture thickens.

STEP 3

Spoon the mince mixture over the pumpkin and drizzle with honey. Bake for 15 mins or until the mince is golden and the pumpkin is tender.

STEP 4 

Transfer the pumpkin to a serving plate and sprinkle with almond and pomegranate seeds, if using, to serve. 

Serve with chopped pistachio, lemon wedges, mint leaves and flat-leaf parsley leaves 

(photo from July Coles magazine)

Creamy spinach stuffed pumpkin with chorizo

Ingredients

2 small (about 900g) butternut pumpkins, halved, seeded

Extra virgin olive oil, to brush

1 Chorizo, chopped

1 tbs extra virgin olive oil, extra

40g unsalted butter, chopped

1 garlic clove, crushed

2 tbs plain flour

1 cup (250ml) milk

1/2 cup (30g) finely grated manchego or finely grated parmesan

3/4 cup (90g) shredded tasty cheddar

200g Kale & Baby Spinach

1/4 cup oregano leaves

Method

STEP 1

Preheat oven to 180°C. Line 1 large baking tray with baking paper. Brush cut sides of the pumpkin halves with oil and season. Place, cut-side down, on the lined tray. Roast for 40 mins or until golden and tender.

STEP 2

Meanwhile, place the chorizo in a food processor and process until finely chopped. Heat extra oil in a non-stick frying pan over high heat. Add the chorizo and cook, stirring occasionally, for 4-6 mins or until golden and crisp. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and flour and cook, stirring, for 1-2 mins or until light golden. Gradually add the milk, stirring to combine. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring, for 3 mins or until the mixture thickens. Add manchego or parmesan and 1/2 cup (60g) cheddar and stir until smooth and combined. Add the kale and spinach and cook for 2 mins or until the kale wilts.

STEP 3

Use a spoon to scoop out flesh from the pumpkin halves, leaving a 2cm border. Stir 1/4 cup pumpkin flesh into the spinach mixture. Spoon the spinach mixture evenly into the pumpkin halves. Top with remaining cheddar.

STEP 4

Preheat grill on high. Cook pumpkin halves under grill for 5 mins or until the cheddar is golden. Sprinkle with chorizo and oregano to serve.

(photo from July Coles magazine)