Winter offers an array of colourful squash. Whether you choose a butternut squash, acorn, spaghetti, a pumpkin, whatever takes your fancy, you can be sure of nutritional, tasty meals throughout the chilly winter months.Put thoughts of Cinda's magical stagecoach behind you and enjoy these tasty ideas.
Cheesy Bake
Peel and slice equal amounts of potatoes and butternut squash. Slice 2 or 3 onions and soften them in butter with fresh thyme for several minutes. Stir a few shakes of Stokes Tomato Ketchup, 1 tbsp of Stokes Chilli Jam and 1 tbsp of our Cider & Horseradish Mustard into the onions and set them aside.
Layer your squash and potatoes in an ovenproof dish with a scattering of the seasoned onions and grated Cheddar cheese between each layer. Combine equal amounts of chicken stock and double cream together (about 300ml in all) and pour it over the vegetables until it soaks into the layers.
Top the contents with a combined grating of Cheddar and Parmesan Cheese, then bake in the oven, pre-heated to 200°C/gas mark 6, for 30 minutes until the vegetables are soft and the cheesy topping is brown and bubbling excitedly.
Any squash will do here but as butternut squash is the easiest to peel, we'll go for that.To intensify the flavour of the squash, peel, cube, dust with a little cinnamon and brown sugar, drizzle with oil and roast it on a tray for 15 to 20 minutes at 220°C/gas mark 7 to caramelise the edges and soften the flesh.
Squeeze the meat out of pork or Cumberland sausages, breaking it into rough balls and fry this with 2 shallots that have softened in butter or oil (or both) with 1 tsp of thyme leaves and a handful of smoked lardons. After 5 minutes, add 350ml of chicken stock, 4 tbsp of Stokes Chipotle Ketchup (for smoky chilli heat) and 1 tbsp of our lovely Brown Sauce.
After 5 minutes simmering the smoky lardons, sausage and onions, add the roasted squash. Very gently, let the flavours get to know each other while your chosen pasta finishes cooking. Drain the pasta, put it back in the pan with a drizzle of olive oil and stir in a Mozzarella ball, broken into small pieces. Pour the pig 'n pumpkin mixture into the pasta with a good grating of Cheddar cheese and serve.
Rustic Acorn Tart
It's rustic because it's untidy, the acorn is Acorn Squash - but it's easy to make and tastes so good.Halve, de-seed and slice the squash into thin 'moon' shapes. Cut a sheet of puff pastry to a rough circle and, imagining a 2 cm border all round, spread about 100g of goats cheese within the border with a scattering of thyme leaves and a few slices of sage leaves.
Liberally dot Stokes Chilli Jam and Red Onion Marmalade across the the base then fan the moons of squash over the filling.
Fold up the pastry edges and paint them with egg wash. Grate a tangy cheese (such as Caerphilly) over the squash with a few twists of pepper, needles of rosemary and sage leaves, then into the oven, pre-heated to 200°C/gas mark 6 for 25 to 30 minutes.
Classic Pumpkin SoupFinely chop 2 shallots and soften them gently in butter for 6 or 7 minutes before adding 800g of peeled, pith removed, cubed pumpkin flesh.
Add a little more butter and caramelise it gently for 10 minutes, then add 650ml of vegetable stock and simmer, lid on, for 12 to 15 minutes until the flesh of the pumpkin is soft.
Blitz with a hand blender adding 150ml of double cream, 1 tbsp of Stokes Brown Sauce (for its heady spice) and 3 tbsp of our Tomato or Bloody Mary Ketchup. Blitz again and season.
For more great pumpkin recipes ... 'look behind you' - HERE
It's beginning to taste a lot like Christmas
Order your 'Tastes of Christmas' - HERE
More foodie thoughts for the week:
Fish Friday -
This winter wonderland of colour and taste is just one of our delicious fish recipes this week - here.
Basically Tasty -
Festively gathered, the family is hungry for the flavoursome joys of Christmas, made better - here.
Taking the Sun -
It's not all such hard work at Rendlesham. Enjoy a break from the winter weather - here.
If good food makes you happy
...adding Stokes will make you smile ;)
FOOD MADE BETTER
www.stokessauces.co.uk
...adding Stokes will make you smile ;)
FOOD MADE BETTER
www.stokessauces.co.uk
01394 462150
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