Denise says:
- This vegan main dish becomes a stunning centre piece when carved into slices at the table.
- Preparation Time: 25 minutes
- Cooking Time: Approx 2 hours
- Serves: 3-4
Ingredients:
- 1 large butternut squash
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small onion – peeled and finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic – peeled and chopped
- 50g large cous cous (Israeli cous cous)
- 25g raisins – soak in 50ml boiling water for 5 minutes and then drain
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- ~
- 100g kale
- 50g chopped pecan nuts 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Method
- Preheat oven to 170C Fan/ 190 C/ Gas mark 5.
- Cut the butternut squash in half lengthwise, remove the seeds and scoop out some of the flesh ensuring that you leave a shell 2cm thick.
- Cook the cous cous according to the packet instructions and set aside.
- Finely chop the flesh from the scooped-out butternut squash and put into a frying pan with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add the onion and garlic and fry for 2-3 minutes or until soft.
- To the frying pan, add the cooked cous cous, drained raisins, paprika, oregano and salt and pepper and mix well.
- Season the butternut squash shell and gently spoon the stuffing into the cavities.
- Carefully put the two halves of the butternut squash back together to reform the squash and tie with string at intervals.
- Transfer to a roasting tin lined with baking parchment paper.
- Drizzle with remaining tablespoon olive oil, season again and roast for 1 ½ hours or until the squash is tender but still holding its shape.
- Blanch the kale in a large pan of salted boiling water for 1 minute to wilt, drain well and then toss with the extra virgin olive oil and season.
- Serve the butternut squash with the kale scattered with pecan nuts.
Tagged in: Autumn, Butternut Squash, Cous Cous, Family Lunch, Garlic, Kale, Mediterranean, Pecan nuts, Raisins, Succot, Vegan, Vegetarian, Yom Tov