Roasted Squash with Merguez-Spiced Chickpeas

I am so in love with Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's "Veg Every Day" cookbook - a constant source of inspiration for using up the veg from my Riverford box.  We've eaten much more healthily (and cheaply) with the arrival of both these essentials in our lives!  The party last night gave us another opportunity to try out one of the recipes, and this was a delicious, cheap and filling dish to plonk on the table alongside all the other goodies.  I was so busy yesterday, I forgot to take pictures of most of the food, so I will simply link to the channel 4 website which gives both the recipe and a nice picture of the finished dish.  There is no meat in this - the reference to merguez relates to the classic seasoning for the North African sausage, which is put to use in a seasoned oil to dress the veg and pulses - a heady blend of garlic, caraway, fennel seed, cumin, smoked paprika, rosemary and Cayenne pepper.  I used tinned chickpeas rather than cook my own (I never seem to be able to get the chickpeas soft when I prep them from dry, and the 'East End' brand provides lovely soft, yielding peas) and I also cheated massively by using a bag of frozen butternut squash from Waitrose - what a BRILLIANT timesaver!  Anyway, a really nice dish, and one for the under a fiver thread too.

Aubergine Butternut Squash Curry

I know.  This sounds like knitted nut cutlets and bread made from ground-up rocks and sand, but in fact it was soothing, comforting, sweet and wholesome - a bit like me!  I'd had a butternut squash lurking in the shed for a month, and every time I checked it, I had to knock off a slug or two, hoping desperately to break through the tough skin, but never succeeding.  Well, it got peeled and chopped tonight (minus the slugs!) and added to a curry with chopped, sauteed aubergine, a tin of chickpeas, a small tin of coconut milk, some veg stock, and a masala paste of blended onion, garlic, ginger, tomato puree, garam masala, turmeric, ground coriander and cumin, and chilli flakes.  With a handful of spinach and fresh coriander stirred in at the end, and a spritz of lime juice, it was a great way to despatch a squash!  Serve with Basmati rice and/or naan bread or chapattis, and you have a wonderfully healthy meal for four for under a fiver.

Roasted Butternut, Puy Lentil and Goats' Cheese Salad

A lovely treatment for butternut squash, with the earthiness of the lentils and the tanginess of soft, fresh goat's (or should that be goats' - where does the apostrophe go?  ) cheese to contrast with the sweetness of the squash.  Simply roast chunks of butternut, tossed in olive oil, garlic and seasoning, for 40 minutes until soft and lightly caramelised.  You can either cook the Puy lentils from scratch, or open a pouch of Merchant Gourmet's excellent ready-coooked ones.  Make a nice lemony vinaigrette and add some mustard and lots of chopped parsley to it.  Now toss the cooked squash and lentils in the dressing, adjust the seasoning and pile onto lettuce, watercress or rocket leaves - whatever you have.  Now crumble over a small round of fresh, creamy goat's/s' cheese, scrunch over lots of black pepper and tuck in.  PS. News from hubby, and he's right of course - if you can guarantee the cheese was made from the milk from a single goat, then it would be goat's cheese, but as it is likely to be made from the milk of many goats, then it is goats' cheese.  See, you get a lesson in grammar as well as cooking.

Roast Tomato and Butternut Squash Pasta Sauce

This combo works really well in a lasagne, so I thought it would be good for a pasta sauce - and I was right!  Roast some ripe fresh tomatoes, chunks of butternut, onion and garlic, blend with some roasted red peppers from a jar and lots of basil, and you have a sweet sauce that coats penne or other pasta shapes perfectly.  I imagine this would be a popular sauce for kids, with its sweet tomatoey flavour they seem to love.  Frankly, you couldn't cram more veg in to them if you stuck a funnel down their throats and force-fed them like fois gras geese.  Anyway, simply chop and de-seed a small butternut, and sprinkle with olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper.  Do the same with three or four big, ripe tomatoes.  Peel and quarter a large onion and drizzle with oil.  Roast at 180C for half-an-hour, then tip it all into a food processor, (scoop the butternut flesh from the skin) with the drained contents of half a jar of roasted red peppers, and blitz to your desired consistency.  I like it chunky, but kids might prefer a smooth texture.  Reheat until bubbling, thinning with a little hot water if you want, adjust the seasoning, stir through some fresh basil, and then fold through freshly-coooked pasta.  Lots of grated parmesan is a must to add some counter-balance to the sweetness.  Easy, simple, and cheap - definitely an under a fiver job.

North African Chickpea and Squash Stew

This tasty wonder comes from Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's marvellous book, 'Veg'.  If you haven't got it, buy it, is my advice.  Dare I say (whisper it very softly), it is even better than Nigel Slater's 'Tender: Volume 1' for veggie recipes.  Anyway, this simple yet scrummy dish will feed four people well with couscous (I flavour mine with lemon zest and juice, chopped coriander and ground sumac).  As this recipe is from a book, I shall preserve the copyright, and urge you to consult the book itself, but to give you a gist.........You saute an onion, some chopped garlic and ginger in olive oil.  You add North African spices: chili flakes, ground cinnamon, ground coriander and cumin, saffron and turmeric and I also added some ras al hanout.  You add a tin each of tomatoes and chickpeas and a little water and simmer until all is soft and delicious.  You steam some chunks of butternut squash and add to the stew for the final 5 minutes.  You lift the flavours at the end with chopped coriander and a good squeeze of lemon.  You serve with couscous or rice and, in our case, some fresh chorizo sausages (merguez would be better)  You enjoy with relish and then go and order the book on Amazon for a bargain ten quid.  You do this 'cos Maggie says it is a good idea, and she is always right.

Golden Vegetable Tagine with Couscous

A nice sunny day in the kitchen, making cheap, cheerful and very filling Veggie Tagine with Couscous.  Vegetable tagines are moveable feasts, depending on what's in season.  In the summer, I make them a little like a spiced ratatouille with peppers and tomatoes and aubergines.  In the winter, though, squashes and root veg take very well to warm North African spices so I used up some carrots and a butternut squash in this version.  I peeled and diced a large Spanish onion, 4 cloves of garlic and a 'thumb' of fresh ginger, and chopped them all quite fine.  Then I peeled and diced equal quantities of butternut squash and carrots.  Saute the onion, garlic and ginger in 3 tablespoons of olive oil - do this gently and slowly so it remains sweet and pale in colour.  Now prepare your spices: crumble a good pinch of saffron stamens in a tablespoon of hot water and let it sit for a few minutes to steep.  Measure out a heaped teaspoon each of ground cumin, ground coriander and paprika (not the smoked variety).  Add to this a quarter teaspoon each of Cayenne pepper and ground cinnamon.  Add all the dried spices to the sweated onions and stir for a moment or two to 'awaken' the spice.  Now stir in the squash and carrots, the saffron water and a pint of veg stock (Marigold is fine).  Stir in a dessertspoon of tomato puree and a handful of chopped dried apricots (optional, but I like the sweetness in this dish).  Also tip in a 400g tin of drained, rinsed chickpeas (I like the East End brand). Bring to a simmer, cover, and simmer gently for 20 minutes or so until the veg is becoming tender.  Remove the lid and bubble off some of the liquid if it is watery.  Serve with rice, in which case add lots of chopped fresh coriander to the tagine, or I like to serve it with Lemon and Coriander couscous - instant couscous soaked in equal quantity-by-volume of boiling veg stock, into which a clove of garlic has been grated, lots of black pepper and a couple of spoons of olive oil.  Cover well and leave for 10 minutes, then squeeze in the juice of a lemon and masses of chopped coriander.  YUM-MEE!  If you have any ras-al-hanout spice mix, add a teaspoon to the tagine 5 minutes before serving, and if you like it really hot, add harissa to taste.

Spiced Parsnip and Butternut Soup

Curried parsnip soup is a classic, invented by the late, great Jane Grigson.  The original recipe calls for 1 parsnip and I always puzzled about that, thinking it was an exiguous quantity for a whole pot.  And then I got my Riverford deliveries and realised that she meant proper parsnips, great big beasts, with the earth clinging damply to them.  Anyway, I had some to use up, along with half a butternut squash.  They both take well to spicing and, together, made a lovely sweet, silky soup that would easily serve 4 people in big bowls with lots of crusty bread or a warm buttery naan.  It is made in the usual way - 1 large onion, chopped, a large or 2 medium parsnips, peeled and chopped, and an equivalent quantity of butternut, peeled and chopped (a small specimen or half a large one).  Sweat in a tablespoon of oil and a good knob of butter until softening.  Stir in a couple of cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped and an inch or so of fresh ginger, peeled and chopped.  Add a teaspoon each of cumin seeds (ground or whole, according to your preference), a teaspoon of ground coriander and a little chilli powder (to taste - you don't want it too hot, in my opinion).  Now, just cover with veg stock (marigold, as always, is fine) and simmer for 20 minutes.  Blend, add masses of chopped fresh coriander or parsley, squeeze a little lemon in and serve with a blob of yoghurt.

Keralan Egg Curry with Butternut Squash

I know some people are funny about egg curries, but I love them!  Eggs go so well with a good curry sauce and are cheap and nutritious.  This is definitely an 'under a fiver' candidate.  I have no idea of the authenticity of this recipe, but I like it.  For 4, you need 6 free-range organic eggs (yes, you can afford it the rest is so cheap), which you boil for 8 minutes, then plunge into cold water to cool.  When cold, shell and set aside.  Chop a large onion, a red chilli, 4 cloves of garlic and a 'thumb' of peeled ginger in a processor or mini chopper until almost a puree.  To this, stir in a teaspoon of garam masala, a teaspoon of ground turmeric, 2 teaspoons of cumin seeds and 2 heaped teaspoons of ground coriander.  Fry this paste in a couple of tablespoons of oil over a medium heat for a minute or two.  Blend a can of good tomatoes in the processor or chopper until like a 'passata' and add to the paste with about 120ml of water.  Bring to the boil, and simmer for 10 minutes until thick.  Whilst this is happening, steam some chunks of butternut squash - either one you've prepared or a pack of ready-prepped from the supermarket.  When tender, add to the curry sauce along with a 200ml can of coconut milk.  Simmer for a few minutes until thick and well combined.  Now turn the heat off, add the eggs, halved, a bunch of shopped coriander and a couple of tablespoons of natural yoghurt.  Taste for salt.  Cover, and let the eggs warm through as you drain your rice and/or tear up your naan breads.  Serve and enjoy!

Butternut Squash and Cannellini Bean Soup

We're in the middle of June and I'm making soup!  Can't believe it.  But it is so chilly and damp that we need something to warm us up, so this was knocked up for lunch today.  Simply dice about half a peeled butternut squash, a large onion, and 3 cloves of fresh, new season's garlic.  Saute in a tablespoon of olive oil, until onion softens, but doesn't brown.  Now, add 750ml of veg stock, some finely-diced chilli (I had a nice, hot little green one) and a good sprig of rosemary.  Tip in a drained, rinsed can of cannellini beans (I love the Cirio/Valfrutta brand).  Cover and simmer gently for around 15 minutes, until squash is tender, but not breaking up.  Add some shredded greens - cabbage, spring greens, broccoli, spinach, whatever you have - and cook for another 5 minutes or so.  Add lots of fresh chopped parsley and eat.  This is enough for 4.  If you aren't watching the calorie/fat intake, more oil drizzled over would be nice, and some fresh bread.  But we are.  So we didn't.  Abstemious types like us will only take on board about 180 calories in each big, steaming bowl!

Butternut and Chard Fritatta

I had thought I'd seen the last of both these main ingredients in the Riverford veg box, but they turned up again this week - along with lots of other goodies!  However, they were splendid in this dish.  I roasted the squash with chopped wet garlic and fresh rosemary, then mixed with 4 eggs and the finely-shredded stalks and leaves of Swiss chard which had been sweated in a little olive oil.  Cooked in a pan with more oil, browned under the grill, and served with asparagus that had roasted alongside the squash and some warm crusty bread with butter, it was a veggie feast, and I didn't resent them in the end!

Tarka Dal with Roasted Butternut Squash

My husband can be witty - sometimes.  When I said we were having this, he asked if it had otter in it - Tarka the Otter?  On the contrary it is a great vegan dish.  This is based on a recipe in Jamie Oliver's latest magazine, and is, essentially, a dal made from red lentils with lots of ginger, garlic, chilli, cumin and ground coriander.  Then it is served with the tarka topping, lots of onions, shallots, garlic and ginger fried in oil and a little butter until lovely and brown.  At the last minute, you add some garam masala and mustard seeds and spoon the oil and onion mixture over the dal with lots of chopped coriander.  We served this with chunks of butternut squash that had been peeled and vubed, tossed in a little oil and a teaspoon of garam masala, and roasted until toasted and soft.  Some Basmati rice and a little mint raita (not vegan, I know) was all we needed for a complete meal.

Borlotti Bean, Prosciutto and Rosemary Risotto

This is a Jamie Oliver recipe from his very first book (The Naked Chef), and one I've cooked fairly regularly.  I have several of Jamie's books but don't really use them much - I can't think why, other than that his recipes seem to use vast quantities of oil, and can be a bit slap-dash.  Perhaps I should give him another chance?  Anyway, this is a fairly classic risotto recipe, and although it isn't terribly pretty, the texture and deep savoury notes are wonderful.  I added some cubes of roasted butternut squash before serving, to boost our veggie intake and to find yet another use for the endless stores of the stuff we have in the house!  It consists of the usual sauteed onion in a little oil and butter, a couple of slices of Parma Ham, chopped, and a good sprig of fresh rosemary needles, finely chopped.  After turning the rice in the buttery juices, a good glug of Noilly Prat vermouth is added (you could use white wine also) and then veg or chicken stock is added bit by bit in the usual way.  At the last addition of stock, stir in a tin of drained and rinsed borlotti beans - I use Cirio brand.  'Mount' the rice at the end with a little extra butter and some grated parmesan, and then add some cooked butternut, if liked - entirely optional - or maybe some frozen peas at the same time as the beans.  If you have leftovers, cool, refrigerate, and then squidge into little patties, dip in flour, and saute for a few minutes until crisp and heated through.  Almost as delish as the orignal dish.

Jerusalem Artichoke Soup with Bouillabaisse Flavours and Accompaniments

Oh, how can I convey to you how marvellous this most unlikely-sounding soup is?  It came to me via my online friend Veronica's blog, La Recette du Jour, and she got it in turn from Nadine Abensur's book, Crank's Bible.  My husband found this fishless Bouillabaisse a most difficult concept to get his head around.  The conversation, repeated endlessly, went something like this:
Him: so, it is a bouillabaisse without fish?
Me: No it is a vegetable soup, made with the traditional flavours of bouillabaisse - fennel seeds, orange peel, saffron, vermouth, a little tomato, lots of garlic, and served with rouille, toast and Gruyere
Him: so, it is a bouillabaisse without fish?
Me: NO! Idiot!  It is a vegetable soup......and so on
Anyway, when he ate it he understood!  It does look and smell incredibly like that Provencal fish soup, with the lovely saffron colour and aromatic notes from the spices and orange.  It really was a most delicious thing to eat.  I adapted Veronica's recipe, and used equal quantities of Jerusalem artichokes and butternut squash (which helped the colour), instead of the celeriac she used.  We will most definitely make this again.  By the way, I know this isn't a Nigel recipe, but it is most definitely in his spirit, and all the veg was from Riverford.

Butternut Squash, Spinach and Tomato Lasagne

I know - another squash recipe!  They arrive regularly in our veg box, and it is an (enjoyable) challenge to find new ways to use them.  This was a very delicious solution to the weekly 'what do we do with the squash this time?' conundrum, and I found the recipe on the BBC Good Food site.  It was quite time-consuming to make, because of all the various stages, but none of them are hard and it whiled away a lazy Saturday afternoon.  It is worth using the tinned cherry tomatoes, as they do add a different texture to the proceedings.  Anyway, great veggie dish and worth considering as a Christmas dinner alternative, I would think.

Baked Pumpkin and Onion Bhajis

We have so much squash and pumpkin in the house at the moment, and I am constantly looking for new ways to use it.  Pumpkin/squash takes to curry flavours very well, so I made some bhajis to ward off the cold on a bitterly freezing night.  I make no claims for authenticity, and please adjust spicing to suit.  I had no 'gram' flour in the house, but plain flour worked just as well.  This quantity made plenty for 2, and is probably fine for 4 as an accompaniment or starter.  You slice 1 good-sized onion, fairly thinly, and peel and coarsely grate about 200g of butternut squash/pumpkin.  If the squash flesh is a bit watery, squeeze handfuls dry with kitchen paper.  Mix 2 eggs, 120g plain flour, some salt and pepper, a teaspoon each of ground cumin, coriander and turmeric, and half a teaspoon of chilli flakes or a finely chopped fresh red chilli.  Now add the onion and squash and stir well.  Heat the oven to 160 C fan and line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper.  Heat a couple of tablespoons of oil in a non-stick pan over a medium heat, then drop in tablespoons of the mixture, pressing down lightly to make a round cake.  Cook for a minute or so and turn over.  Cook for a further minute and then transfer to the baking sheet.  Repeat with the rest of the mix, using a little extra oil if needed.  You can 'hold' the bhajis like this  for several hours, overnight even, or bake them straight away - 15 minutes from the frying pan, or 20-25 minutes from chilled.  They should be lightly brown and 'singing' from the oven.  Serve with yoghurt into which you have stirred some grated garlic, chopped mint, grated cucumber, chopped coriander - whatever takes your fancy.  I like sweet chilli dipping sauce too!

Risotto of Butternut Squash and Chorizo

So cold in Oxfordshire tonight!  At least we don't have snow, but temperatures are forecast to drop to -3C and possibly -10C with wind chill factored in.  So strange for this time of year.  There is a real need for warming carbohydrate, and a bowl of piping hot risotto hits the mark.  Made the usual way, but with some finely-chopped celery along with the onion, and some fresh sage half-way through.  At the end, I stirred through chunks of sweet roasted butternut squash and freshly grated parmesan, along with some cubes of sauteed cooking chorizo.  Warming, filling, and another butternut squash bites the dust!  However, another one arrived in the veg box today.  Doh!

Chickpea and Pumpkin Coconut Curry [#253]

We have so much butternut squash in the house, courtesy of Riverford Organics, that I am surprised I don't look like one - oh, hang on, perhaps I do!  Anyway, this was delicious and warming, and would be great for a vegan.  Fry a paste made up of a chopped onion, 3 or 4 cloves of garlic, an inch or so of ginger root, a stem of lemongrass and a de-seeded red chilli - use a tablespoon of oil.  After a minute, add a teaspoon of yellow or black mustard seeds. After another minute or so, stir in a teaspoon each of ground turmeric, ground coriander and cumin.  Then add a 200ml can of coconut milk and 300ml of veg stock.  For non-veggies, splosh in some Thai fish sauce.  Also, add the juice of half a lime.  Add a tin of drained chickpeas and simmer for 15 minutes or so.  Meanwhile, steam some chunks of butternut squash or pumpkin.  Just before serving, add the pumpkin to the sauce with some coriander leaf and more lime if liked.  I like it with sticky rice, or some naan bread - not Thai but still delicious.  This is adapted from a Nigel Slater recipe in 'Tender, Vol. 1' and is plenty for 2 people.

Roast Butternut, Goats' Cheese and Sage Souffle

Supper really was the highlight of my day today.  Whether that meant that I had had a particularly bad day at work, or just that I am greedy, I'll leave you to decide - a bit of both, if truth be told.  I've wanted to do this recipe, by Sarah Raven, for a while, and as I had some leftover roasted butternut squash in the fridge, today seemed like an ideal opportunity.  So, a bit of mashing of squash, a bit of grating of parmesan and chopping of soft, squidgy goats' cheese, tearing of sage leaves, and beating of egg whites, and we're done.  I made a little 'panade', the classic thick white sauce, as a base, and beat the mashed squash and 3 egg yolks into this along with most of the parmesan and the sage.  Then, I folded the cubed squidgy goats' cheese in along with the egg white, tipped it into a gratin dish lined with butter and more parmesan, and sprinkled the remaining cheese on top.  Twenty minutes later, it emerged from a hot oven all golden, wobbly and crisp.  Dear reader, it was delicious, and the day seems nicer and life more mellow, with a full tum and a fragrant flat!

Roast Butternut Squash Soup with Leek and Chilli

It is very rare indeed that Hubby is off work on a Saturday, but today is one of those days!  Hurray!  But, a 'proper' lunch is called for rather than my usual making do with some toast.  Yesterday's Riverford Organic Veg Box brought a HUGE butternut squash, which I chopped and roasted on foil-lined trays.  Whilst this happened, I sliced two magnificent leeks (also form the box) and sweated them slowly in olive oil, with a little garlic and a chopped bird's eye chilli.  Into the pot went one of the trays of roasted squash, along with a litre or so of Marigold veg stock mixed with a tablespoon of tomato puree.  Twenty minutes of simmering, and a quick whizz with the handblender (still leaving some chunkiness for a bit of texture) and we had a thick, warming bowl of soup with just a prickle of chilli.  Loads left for lunch on Monday too.  The remaining squash will be mashed and turned into a Squash, Sage and Goat's Cheese Souffle from Sarah Raven that I've had my eye on for a while.

Roast Butternut Squash Puree with Ginger

Based on an idea from Riverford Organics, from whom we got the squash, this was an intensely flavoured accompaniment to the the chicken, almost like a relish. A skinned and cubed squash is roasted with lots of chopped garlic and fresh ginger, and olive oil, then mashed with butter, a little creme fraiche and I added some red chilli too, along with chopped coriander. This produced a large quantity, so the remains will be used to make little empanada for work on Tuesday. Very nice recipe.