On a lighter, yet more warming and fulfilling note, we're continuing our 'At Home With Nigel Slater' week, and this evenings special both goes well with the leftover white wine, and warms the soul on a chilly winter evening.
Much like a pancake, the pumpkin is suffering the fate of being allocated a box. A time frame. A solitary and confined period of the calendar where it's the focus of the kitchen. Other than it's designated day, it's forgotten and banished to a page at the back of your recipe book. However, here at Cafe Pump, we try to think a little differently. In a similar stance to celebrating love and San Valentino everyday of the year, the pumpkin is something to use when the urge grabs you, not when the desk diary dictates. Well, Nigel used a pumpkin, but local availability swayed us towards the humble butternut squash. They're closely related to the pumpkin, which means that last paragraph still stands as relevant. Either way, as Nigel states, this dish is all about the marriage of texture and flavour, and it was a popular special indeed...
Ingredients: 1kg butternut squash/pumpkin, 3 cloves garlic, a mild red chilli, zest of half an orange, 1tbsp chopped rosemary leaves, 4 handfuls fresh white breadcrumbs, 40g butter, salt, pepper, and olive oil.
Method: Pre-heat your oven to 180c. Hack away at the skin of the squash, and cut into chunks. Steam said chunks until tender at knifepoint. Meanwhile, in a shallow pan, heat oil with garlic (chopped finely) before adding chilli slices, orange zest, and fresh rosemary leaves. Let this delightful concoction heat for a minute or two before adding the parsley and bread crumbs. Once the breadcrumbs are a pale biscuit gold, take off the heat to see to the squash. Transfer the squash to your most loyal roasting tray, and throw in a lump of butter before piling on the breadcrumb mix. Bake for a generous half an hour, or until the breadcrumbs are a rich gold, and the squash tender. Serve and eat. Smile.
Tips: Don't let the garlic brown.
Music: Sunny Afternoon - The Kinks
