Pumpkins & Squash

In this new monthly feature Rosie Birkett discovers the joys of a seasonal ingredient. She kicks off with warming autumnal squash

Gourds always seem to me ultimate harbingers of autumn, having grown and swelled through the heat of the year, finally ready as the leaves turn the same colour as their skins and the nights draw in. After rather impatiently watching my squashes get plump and bulbous over the summer months, from humble beginnings as spongy-leafed seedlings, it’s exciting to finally be cooking with them.

The joy of growing squash and pumpkin yourself is that they are reasonably highyielding (if you keep them well-fed and watered), and you can get experimental with varieties, making a move away from the classic butternut – though of course, this has its place too.

If you’re buying them, it’s well worth trying to seek out some more exciting varieties. I particularly love acorn and delicata for their intensely sweet and honeyed flavour. Spaghetti squash is also worth nabbing if you can find it. So called because, once cooked, its flesh pulls apart into fine strands resembling spaghetti, it’s wonderful tossed with butter and herbs and served on the side of a pan-fried chicken breast or halloumi steak.

Once you’ve got your hands on a squash or pumpkin, you have a meal or three at your fingertips. Their sweetness lends them the virtue of being good in both savoury and sweet dishes, and don’t, whatever you do, discard those glistening seeds as they can be rinsed and crisped up in the oven with some salt, chilli powder and sesame seeds, or pan-fried with a glug of rapeseed oil until they pop – a perfect topping for a salad with the flesh, or simply an addictive snack.

Oven roasting is by far my favourite technique for bringing out the sugars in the squashes and caramelising their meat. If cut small enough, you can pan-fry it, and this works well for something like a risotto, but nothing beats the crispy-edged, toffee sweet meat of an oven-roasted slice in my mind. Peeling is an utter chore, so avoid doing it – most squashes will roast beautifully when cut into wedges with the skin on, and once cooked, it can easily be peeled.

Peeling is essential though if you’re making a soup or purée. For a soup, try combining the sweet meat with the smoky spice of chipotle chilli, and plenty of butter in a purée will make it perfect for stirring with eggs, sugar and warm spices like cinnamon to fill a crispy pastry case for pumpkin pie. Follow the Italians’ lead and plump for some fried sage leaves to accompany squash or pumpkin in savoury dishes, as no other herb works quite as wonderfully as this woody, savoury leaf.

ALSO IN SEASON apples ■ autumn raspberries ■ beetroot ■ blackberries ■ carrots ■ chestnuts ■ cobnuts ■ figs ■ grapes ■ hazelnuts ■ leeks ■ maincrop potatoes ■ marrows ■ pears ■ peppers ■ quince ■ shallots ■ spinach ■ Swiss chard ■ walnuts ■ wild mushrooms

SERVES 4 | PREP 25 mins | COOK 1 hr 5 mins | EASY | V

• 800g delicata, acorn or butternut squash

• 4 tbsp rapeseed or olive oil

• 25g pumpkin seeds (or use the seeds from the pumpkin or squash you’re using)

• 10 sage leaves

• 2 tbsp good quality red wine vinegar

• 250g pouch cooked Puy lentils

• 100g soft goat's cheese (I like the rosary ash one from Ocado)

• 4 amaretti biscuits

For the crispy kale

• 100g kale, rinsed, dried, thick stems removed and leaves torn into crisp-sized pieces

• 1/2 tbsp rapeseed or olive oil

• 1 tbsp white sesame seeds

• 1 tsp red chilli flakes

1) Heat oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3. Toss the kale lightly in the oil, 1 /2 tsp salt, sesame and chilli, massaging the leaves until coated with the oil and seasoning. Arrange the leaves in one layer in a roasting tin or baking tray – you might need to use more than one to keep them in an even layer. Roast for 15-20 mins until crisp and dry but not brown.

2) Once dried, remove from the oven and turn the heat up to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Halve the squash and scoop out the seeds. Wash the seeds to remove the sticky membrane, dry them with kitchen paper and set aside. Cut the squash into 1cm thick slices (don’t worry about peeling them), and arrange on a baking sheet or in a roasting tin. Drizzle over 1 tbsp oil, season, then turn and drizzle with a little more oil. Season again and roast for 30-40 mins until tender and caramelising, turning halfway through. Remove from the oven.

3) Heat the remaining oil in a non-stick frying pan over a medium to high heat until it’s shimmering. Add the sage leaves and fry for 15-30 seconds, turning them once. Remove using tongs or a slotted spoon, place on kitchen paper and scatter with sea salt. Add the pumpkin seeds to the hot oil and fry for a few mins until puffed and crunchy. Drain the oil into a bowl and whisk with the red wine vinegar, a pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper.

4) Dress the lentils with half the dressing, then spoon onto the plates or serving platter. Arrange the crispy kale and squash on top, and crumble over the goat's cheese, and drizzle over a bit more dressing. Finally, top with the fried seeds, crumble over the amaretti biscuits and crispy sage leaves.

GOOD TO KNOW 2 of 5-a-day • vit c • fibre PER SERVING 472 kcals • fat 24g • saturates 6g • carbs 42g • sugars 11g • fibre 11g • protein 17g • salt 1.7g

SERVES 4 | PREP 10 mins | COOK 40 mins | EASY

Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/ gas 6. Cut a spaghetti squash in half, scoop out the seeds and drizzle with 2 tbsp olive oil. Season well and place, cut-side down, on a baking sheet. Roast for 30-40 mins until tender. Meanwhile, melt 10g butter in a frying pan with some finely chopped sage. Once the squash is cooked, pour over the butter and use a fork to pull the flesh into strands. Top with toasted pine nuts and parmesan.

GOOD TO KNOW 1 of 5-a-day • gluten free PER SERVING 179 kcals • fat 14g • saturates 4g • carbs 6g • sugars 5g • fibre 4g • protein 4g • salt 0.2g

SERVES 4 | PREP 5 mins | COOK 45 mins | EASY | V

Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/ gas 6. Peel, halve and oil an acorn or butternut squash (about 600-800g) and place cut-side down on an oiled baking sheet. Roast for 30-40 mins until tender, then place in the bowl of a food processor with 10g butter, the zest of 1 orange, 1 /2 tsp salt, 1cm piece ginger, grated, pepper and a pinch of chilli powder. Blitz to a smooth purée and serve with pan-fried scallops or hake, oven-roast veg or stir through a risotto.

GOOD TO KNOW 1 of 5-a-day • low fat PER SERVING 75 kcals • fat 2g • saturates 1g • carbs 11g • sugars 6g • fibre 3g • protein 1g • salt 0.7g

SERVES 2-3 | PREP 5 mins | COOK 15 mins | EASY | V

Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Toss 2 tbsp skin-on almonds with enough rapeseed oil to coat, a pinch of salt and 1 /2 tsp smoked paprika. Toss, then roast for 10 mins. Remove from the oven. Using a peeler, peel 400g peeled acorn, delicata or butternut squash into long ribbons in a bowl. Season. Whisk together 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil with 1/2 tbsp sherry or cider vinegar, salt, pepper and 1 tsp honey. Pour some dressing over the ribbons just to coat, and stir through 1 tbsp chopped parsley and the almonds. Crumble over some feta to finish.

GOOD TO KNOW 1 of 5-a-day • vit c • gluten free PER SERVING (3) 237 kcals • fat 16g • saturates 4g • carbs 13g • sugars 8g • fibre 3g • protein 7g • salt 0.7g