Christmas is only 5 days away, and if you're still deciding what to cook for your main event, look no further than this wonderful stuffed and roasted squash. It's packed with all things tasty and festive, and the flavours combine during roasting to develop this delicious, slightly sweet dish, that's got different textures and looks amazing sliced on your plates.
Ingredients (makes 12 slices):
1 large butternut squash (1-1.5kg)
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 red onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
10g fresh sage leaves, finely chopped
8 sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
75g pre-cooked & peeled chestnuts, chopped
75g quinoa
50g dried cranberries
50g pistachios
1 pinch allspice
75ml red wine
Salt and pepper to taste
Method:
Preheat the oven to 200C (390F). Cut the squash in half lengthways and scoop out the seeds with a spoon. Then score and scoop out some flesh to create a hollow gully for the stuffing along the entire lengths of each of the squash halves. Discard around half of the flesh and half of the seeds. Finely chop the remaining flesh and seeds and fry with 2 Tbsp of olive oil for 5 mins. Add all of the remaining ingredients, stir thoroughly, and fry for about 10 minutes, until beginning to soften. Now, pack the mixture tightly into the hollows of the squash halves, then press the halves firmly back together and rub 1 Tbsp olive oil with some salt and pepper around the outside of the squash. Wrap the whole thing in tin foil, then place in the oven for about 90 minutes, or until tender and cooked through. To serve, open up the foil and carefully carve nice thick slices along with all the trimmings and gravy.
Tip: It's personal preference whether to leave the skin of the squash on or not. The skin of most varieties of squash will become nice and tender after 90 minutes of roasting, is perfectly edible, and will help to hold the shape of the squash together. Peeling the squash however can look better and means the texture is more consistent... up to you!
Nutrition (per 2 slices):
Protein: 6.9g (Women: 13.8% / Men: 12.5%)
Iron: 3.1mg (Women: 20.9% / Men: 27.4%)
Calories: 319 (Women: 16.0% / Men: 12.8%)
Sugar: 13.1g (Women: 14.6% / Men: 10.9%)
Total Fats: 12.9g (Women: 18.4% / Men: 13.6%)
Saturated Fat: 1.8g (Women: 9.0% / Men: 6.0%)
Salt: 0.6g (Women: 10.0% / Men: 10.0%)
Fibre: 7.4g (Women: 24.7% / Men: 24.7%)
See the Nutrition Info page for more details on % of Dietary Reference Values for men and women.