Swooning over squash

3 ways to use my favourite orange orbs

I treated myself to a massage last week.

It turned out to be quite intense - a particularly knotty right shoulder.

“Do you always carry your shopping on the same arm?” the masseuse asked.

“Actually….yeah, I do.” I realised.

And I blame the butternut.

Not just the butternut - the delica, the acorn, the honeynut - varieties of bowling-ball squash and pumpkins that I’m lugging about now that October is here. Filling my bags with all the varieties on offer - awkward, heavy and inevitably all carried on one arm. (Not to mention the absolute CHORE of peeling, slicing and chopping those things).

But it’s worth it. Because squash season might just be my favourite season.

The butternut is the safest bet - affordable, easy to get hold of, a strong all-rounder. But when this time of year comes, I don’t just treat myself to massages (!), but also delica pumpkins. They’re the big, dark green ones, which you’re more likely to find at the farmers market or independent grocers, with a flesh that roasts up smooth, sweet and almost buttery! Expensive, yes. But always worth the splurge.

Spilling out my tote bag contents

All varieties roast into the sweetest, silkiest, cosiest ingredient of autumn. And I’ve got 3 ways of using them to share with you today.

~A silky risotto with sage, parmesan and pine nuts.

~A ginger-spiced squash and carrot soup with chilli & crème fraîche

~And a way with beans - obviously - as brothy base for buttery pumpkin wedges to perch on top of, with blobs of goat’s cheese and a nutty sprinkle.

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From one cook to another

A lot of love goes into all my recipes. But like many writers, there’s a tricky balance between what stays free and what’s behind a paywall. I’m still new on this journey, and so I understand the trust and commitment that comes with becoming a paid subscriber. For those who already do - I’m hugely grateful! That said, I truly want everyone to have the chance to cook my recipes! And so for today, I’ve decided to share them all openly for free. If you enjoy what you make and want to support the newsletter, becoming a paid subscriber makes a real difference - but either way, I’m glad you’re here, cooking along.

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Silky squash risotto with sage, parmesan & pine nuts

This recipe feeds 2 people, but I’ve said to roast a whole squash - we won’t use it all here, but if you’re putting the oven on anyway, it makes sense to roast the lot and with what’s remaining, you can add it to salads or whiz it up into a soup for the rest of the week. A butternut squash will work great here, but if you want a slightly smoother, sweeter and buttery finish, I’d suggest going for a delica pumpkin.

Feeds 2 | Takes 40 mins

Ingredients

25g pine nuts

1 kg winter squash or pumpkin, such as butternut or delica, peeled and cut into 1.5cm cubes

Olive oil, for roasting and frying

A small bunch of sage (roughly 20g), leaves picked, half finely chopped, half kept whole

1 onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

150g Arborio rice

750ml veg stock

1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg (or a small pinch of dried nutmeg)

45g parmesan or pecorino, finely grated (plus extra to serve)

Zest of 1 lemon

A knob of butter, for finishing (optional)

Serving suggestion: a fresh rocket salad dressed with lemon juice and olive oil

Method

1. Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan. Tip the squash into a shallow roasting tray and toss a few tablespoons of oil, salt and pepper. Roast for 30 mins until soft and golden, turning halfway through.

2. Bring the stock to the boil in a small saucepan and keep on a low simmer.

3. Heat two tablespoons of oil in a large frying pan over a medium-low heat. Add the pine nuts and whole sage leaves and toast gently for 2-3 minutes until the nuts are golden, and sage lightly crisp and darkens in colour - giving the pan an occasional shake. Scoop out of the pan and set aside in a small bowl.

4. In the same pan, heat another tablespoon of oil, add the onion and chopped sage and cook gently over a medium heat for 8-10 minutes until soft, stirring occasionally. Stir the rice into the onions and lightly toast the rice for a few minutes until the grains turn translucent.

5. Add a ladleful of stock and stir. Gradually repeat this process until the rice is al dente with a bit of bite - about 20-25 minutes. You won’t need all the stock at this point. The risotto should eventually be creamy and slightly soupy - a good way to check is by dragging a wooden spoon or spatula through the risotto and it should leave a clean line.

6. When the squash is cooked, remove from the oven. Set aside half in a tupperware to use for another day (recommendations above!). Then, with the remaining half, mash half of it to a rough purée and leave half whole.

7. Add the mashed squash to the rice with a splash more stock and stir to combine into a smooth consistency. Gently fold through the squash chunks, then add the cheese, butter (if using), nutmeg and a few cracks of black pepper and mix to combine. Taste and season to your liking.

8. Serve the risotto scattered with the pine nuts, sage, extra parmesan and finish with drizzle of olive oil and a grating of lemon zest for a bit of lift. Delicious as is, or serve alongside some rocket leaves dressed with a little lemon juice and olive oil.

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Roasted squash, carrot & ginger soup

with chilli & crème fraîche

I share soup recipes loosely - because to be honest, you can whiz up any veg and you’ll always get a pretty decent soup. If you don’t want to use carrots, just up the squash, or try sweet potatoes or parsnips instead. Adjust the quantity of stock too, depending on your preferred consistency. It’s pretty flexible - so soup how you like

Feeds 4 | Takes 45 mins

Ingredients

1 medium squash or pumpkin (about 800g), such as butternut or acorn, peeled, deseeded and cut into 2cm chunks

3 medium carrots (about 300g), cut into 2cm chunks

3 tbsp olive oil, plus extra to serve

1 large onion, thinly sliced

2 garlic cloves, finely grated

1 tbsp fresh ginger, finely grated

1 litre vegetable stock (approx)

To serve

Crème fraîche

Chilli flakes

Crusty bread

Method

1. Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan. Tip the squash and carrots into a roasting tray, toss with 2 tbsp of olive oil, salt and pepper, and roast for 25–30 minutes until golden and tender, turning once halfway through.

2. Meanwhile, heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large saucepan over a medium-low heat. Add the onion with a pinch of salt and cook gently for 10-12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft and just golden.

3. Stir in the garlic and ginger, and cook for 1–2 minutes until fragrant.

4. Add the roasted veg and pour over about 700ml of the stock. Bring to the boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 4-5 minutes to let the flavours come together.

5. Remove from the heat and use a stick blender (or carefully transfer to a blender) to blitz until smooth - adjust the level of stock depending on how loose/thick you like your soup! Taste, adjust and season to your liking.

6. Ladle into bowls and finish each portion with a dollop of crème fraîche, a drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of chilli flakes. Dunk with crusty bread. (The seedy sprinkle in the recipe below is also a nice crunchy topper for this!).

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Brothy beans with roasted delica pumpkin, goat’s cheese & seed sprinkle

Because this recipe leans a little more on simplicity, I’d definitely recommend splurging on good quality ingredients. I.e. the delica pumpkin, and also a jar of beans - Bold Beans are best. Trust me in that you’ll notice the difference, and each component will sing. And if you don’t like goat’s cheese, try ricotta - just know it’ll give you a softer, more mild finish, instead of that rich, tangy hit that balances the sweet squash.

Feeds 4 | Takes 40 mins

Ingredients

1 Delica pumpkin or a good quality winter squash (around 850g)

4 tbsp olive oil

2 fat garlic cloves, crushed and roughly chopped

1 x 570g jar of white beans - with their liquid

250g soft goat’s cheese

20g sage, leaves picked

45g nuts/seeds of choice - a combination of pine nuts, pumpkin and sunflower seeds work great

Zest of 1 large lemon

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200C / 180C fan.

2. Slice the squash/pumpkin in half and scoop out and discard the seeds. Slice into thick wedges and put them onto a large, shallow roasting tin in a single layer. Drizzle with a few tablespoons of oil, salt and pepper and toss to coat. Roast for 30-35 minutes until soft and slightly caramelised on the edges, turning halfway through

3. Meanwhile, heat two tablespoons of oil in a pan over a low-medium heat. Add the garlic and cook gently for 2 minutes until fragrant, stirring often.

4. Pour in the beans with all the liquid from the jar - this is where a lot of the flavour is, and acts like a stock! Fill the jar about 1/4 with water, give it a shake and pour that in too. I highly recommend using jarred beans, but if you can’t get hold of them, just add 150ml stock instead. Stir to combine and simmer over a low heat for about 3 minutes to warm the beans through - you should get a naturally creamy, brothy-like consistency. Taste and season to your liking.

5. Once the squash has about 5 minutes cooking time left, make the nutty sage topper. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a small pan over a low heat. Add the nuts/seeds and gently toast for 2-3 minutes until they start to sizzle and turn golden. Then, add the sage leaves, give the pan a shake and continue to cook for a couple of minutes until the sage deepens in colour and turns just crisp - add a splash more oil if it starts to catch.

6. Divide the beans onto plates. Top with a few of the squash wedges, blobs of goat’s cheese and a sprinkle of the nutty sage topper. Finish with a fine grating of lemon zest for a fresh lift.