5 Delicious Squash Recipes

1. Roasted Squash, Feta & Black Bean Burrito (v)

INGREDIENTS

• 1 butternut squash, peeled, deseeded & chopped

• 1 tsp of ground cumin or cumin seeds

• 1 onion, finely chopped

• 100g of feta, chopped

• 1 sprig of thyme, stalk removed

• 1 tin of black beans, drained

• 1 red chilli, sliced

• 1 red pepper, finely chopped

• 130g of wild rice (white or brown is fine too)

• 1 avocado, sliced

METHOD

Remove the skin of the pumpkin and chop the flesh into 1in pieces. Season and sprinkle with cumin then roast in the oven for 30 minutes at 180ºC, until soft. Simmer the rice as per the instructions on the packet. In a saucepan, fry the onion and pepper, then add the black beans and chilli, and simmer until velvety. You might need to add a 2-3 tbsp water to loosen it up. Season the bean mix. Taste to check you’re happy – a pinch of dried oregano or thyme won’t go amiss, if you want to add herbs. Lay out the tortilla. Add the bean mix and the roasted squash. Sprinkle over the feta and avocado. Wrap up the ends and roll to make the burritos. 

2. Spiced Pumpkin Soup (v)

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pumpkin, peeled, deseeded & chopped

• 1 medium onion, chopped

• 1 carrot or potato, chopped into cubes

• 1 tin of tomatoes

• 1 tsp of cumin seeds, pounded in a pestle and mortar

• 1 tsp of paprika

• 1 lemon’s zest

• 1 red chilli, finely chopped

• 300ml of vegetable stock 

• Cream

METHOD

Finely slice the onion. Sauté it in a large casserole pan with the spices, chilli and a slug of oil. Add the peeled squash and tin of tomatoes. Pour in the stock. Simmer for 30 minutes on the hob, on a low heat until the squash is soft. Blend the mix. Now grate in the zest. Taste and season. To finish, pour in a whirl of cream. 

3. Pumpkin, Chickpea & ’Nduja Salad

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pumpkin, peeled

• 1-2 peppers, deseeded

• 1 tin of chickpeas, drained

• 1 shallot, finely chopped

• 100g of ’nduja or chorizo, sliced

• 100g of mozzarella, sliced

• 1 lemon’s zest or 1 preserved lemon, finely sliced

• Mint or coriander

METHOD

Cut the pumpkin into 1-2cm chunks and remove the seeds. Slice the peppers. Season all the veg and place in a baking tray. If using ’nduja, slice and fold into the tray’s mix too. Splash in olive oil and roast for 20 minutes at 180ºC, until the pumpkin flesh is soft. When it’s all cooked, remove and pop it into a large salad bowl. Let it cool for a few minutes. Mix in the chickpeas, the shallot (sprinkle in the sliced chorizo now, if using) and slices of mozzarella. Taste and season accordingly. Pour over some olive oil, grate in the lemon zest, sprinkle 1 tsp white wine vinegar. Stir well and sprinkle over any fresh herbs you wish to include.

4. Pumpkin & Goats’ Cheese Strudel (v)

INGREDIENTS

• 1 butternut squash, peeled, scooped with flesh chopped

• 6 sheets of filo pastry

• 200g of goats’ cheese

• 100g of walnuts, chopped

• 1 leek, finely chopped

• 2 tsp of cumin seeds, toasted

• 2 sprigs of thyme or rosemary, stalks removed

• 25g of butter

• 1 egg (to brush the pastry)

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 180ºC. Sauté the leek in a pan with a knob of butter. Roast the squash flesh at 180ºC until caramelised and soft, then blend. Stir in the toasted cumin seeds, salt and pepper. At this point, add the cooked leek – and you could also sprinkle in 1-2 tsp herbs from thyme to rosemary leaves (fresh or dried will do). Stir so it’s mixed well.  

Melt 15-20g of butter for around 20 seconds in the microwave. With a pastry brush, paint the butter across the filo pastry and place the sheets on top of one another – follow the instructions on the filo packet for this process. Now spoon the butternut squash mix along the longer side of the filo in a 3cm wide log, leaving a gap at each end.

Crumble over the goats’ cheese for some sharpness and the chopped nuts. Fold up the ends of the filo pastry and bring over the pastry, sealing it along the side to form a long strudel shape. Press it down firmly along the sides with a fork. Brush the parcel of filo with some whisked egg. Bake for approximately 30 minutes.

5. Pumpkin Seed Romesco (v)

INGREDIENTS

• 150g jar of roasted red peppers or 3 grilled red peppers

• 100g of pumpkin seeds

• 2 pieces of white bread, toasted

• 1 garlic clove

• 1 tsp of red or white wine vinegar

• 3 tbsp of olive oil

METHOD

If you’re roasting peppers from scratch, season them with olive oil, salt and pepper, and pop in the oven for 20 minutes at 180ºC. Toast the pumpkin seeds in a little olive oil in a pan. Toast the bread in a toaster. Then, in a decent blender (NutriBullet or Vitamix), add all the ingredients and blitz. You want a coarse consistency but add more olive oil if it’s still thick rather than sauce-like.

Serve drizzled over a chicken breast or alongside a fillet of fish. Or over leeks – in Catalonia’s Tarragona region, these would be chargrilled calcots – or a salad. It’s also delicious for dipping into crudités made from crunchy fennel, carrots and celery.