Recipe: Stuffed Butternut Squash

Friday, April 13, 2012

This is one of those recipes that you read and say "gosh why didn't I think of that?" I use butternut squash a lot, mainly in a supporting role in soups, risottos and bakes. I never thought that it can play the leading role so that the whole recipe could revolve around it or better yet in it! Maybe it's because by the time I'm done peeling and de-seeding I just want to throw it in the pan, be done with it and go nurse my cuts, bruises and aching muscles! 

But this recipe simply makes all your senses happy! Your eyes because of the vibrant colours, your nose because it smells like summer in south of France (or Greece for my sake), your taste-buds because it is simply delicious. And you don't have to peel the squash! Hooray!


I found the recipe while browsing through the BBC Good Food website, an all time favourite source of inspiration. I did not change it, apart from that I used 1 medium and 1 small sized squash and I still had some leftovers from the stuffing, which Georgie was more than happy to make sure vanished from the bowl!

So no more talk! Here is the recipe!


Stuffed Butternut Squash
From Caroline Hire, BBC Good Food Online
Serves 2 as a main dish or 4 as a side. The recipe can easily be doubled
Ready in 1 hour
Ingredients
1 medium & 1 small butternut squash
Olive oil , for roasting
1 big pinch dried oregano
150 gr (5 oz) boiled quinoa
100 gr (3.5 oz) feta cheese
50 gr (1.7 oz) toasted pine nuts
1 small carrot, grated (around 50g or 1.7 oz)
Juice half lemon
1 red pepper, chopped
50 gr (1.7 oz) pitted black olives
2 spring onions , chopped

Instructions
If you do not have ready boiled quinoa, boil it in water or stock. Drain and keep aside.
Heat the oven to 200C/400F. Halve the butternut squashes, scoop out the seeds and score the flesh with a sharp knife.
Arrange the halves on a baking tray, drizzle with a little olive oil, season with freshly ground black pepper and sea salt, sprinkle with dried oregano and cook for 40 minutes.
When ready, take out of the oven, add the chopped peppers to the tray alongside the squash and cook for a further 10 minutes.
Meanwhile mix the rest of the ingredients. Take the tray out of the oven and carefully transfer the peppers to the stuffing mix. Stir together and spoon the filling onto the butternut squash. Return to the oven for 10 mins.
Serve and enjoy!


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