Festive Stuffed Butternut Squash with Brussels Sprout Chip Garnish

Serves: 4

Ingredients

Stuffed Butternut Squash

2 small butternut squash, split in half through the stalk, seeds scooped out.

75 g buckwheat, rinsed well

1 medium leek, finely sliced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 teaspoon dried or fresh thyme

Zest of ½ orange, plus juice half orange

50 g fresh or frozen cranberries

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

Sprout Chips

You will need approximately 3 sprouts per person

Salt and pepper

Olive oil

Method

Stuffed Butternut Squash

1. Pre-heat oven to 200˚C (fan).
2. Place the butternut squash halves on a baking tray cut side up. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper, then bake for 45 or so minutes, until the squash is fork tender. Reduce oven to 180˚C (fan).
3. Cook the buckwheat in a pan of salted boiling water (as you would for pasta), for 13 minutes, then drain and rinse well.
4. Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a large frying pan, over a medium heat. Add the leeks and sauté for up to 10 minutes. Add the garlic and herbs and cook for another minute before stirring in the cranberries, orange zest and juice and cooked buckwheat. Remove from the heat.
5. When the squash is cooked, scoop out the flesh leaving a 1cm border around the edge. Mash the filling, and add to the cooked leek and buckwheat mix, season to taste. Stuff the filling back in the squash shells and bake in the oven at 180ºC (fan) for a further 10 minutes.

Sprout Chips

1. Break the sprouts into individual leaves. Do this by first slicing off the base and then easing them off.
2. Toss lightly with olive oil and season then bake at 180˚C for 5-8 minutes (check regularly as they burn easily)
3. Sprinkle over the cooked squash.

Notes

If you can’t find a small squash, which is perfect to serve 2, use a larger one and cut into portions for guests.

You can use quinoa, freekeh, bulghur wheat instead of buckwheat, but do check cooking method as will differ from buckwheat.