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Posts tagged ‘Butternut squash’

Jan 19

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Butternut squash and kale fritters with chorizo and poached eggs

Butternut squash and kale fritters, with chorizo and poached egg

So happy new year! I’m a bit late, I know. January is a bit of an interesting month eating wise. So many friends and family are tucking into salads and staying off the booze. I rarely fancy a salad in January – the cold weather combined with a house stripped of its tinsel makes me feel like I need something comforting, not food purgatory. And there are plenty of tastier ways to up my vegetable consumption and gently get myself into a healthier frame of mind.

My shopping bags are full to bursting with greens this week. Kale seems to be everywhere all of a sudden, in every A-lister’s smoothie, the superfood of the moment. So hopefully you’ve got a bag in the fridge and I promise this will be much nicer than juicing it! Read more

Nov 22

Butternut squash soup, with thyme pesto oil

Butternut squash soup with thyme pesto oil

Soup is the ultimate winter soul food. Nourishing and sustaining, with endless varieties, I never get bored with it.

This soup was borne out of pretty much the entire contents of my fridge – a squash, a couple of shallots, a carton of chicken stock and a little double cream. It was frankly a pretty bare fridge, but I had no desire to head out to the shops and this was the first thing that came to mind. I guess thats the joy of soups, there are no rules, you make make a soup from practically anything.

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Oct 25

Autumn roasted vegetables, hazelnut dukkah, tahini yogurt

Autumn roasted vegetables, hazelnut dukkah, tahini yogurt

Autumn roasted vegetables, hazelnut dukkah, tahini yogurt

Sunday night dinners are always some of my favourites. It’s the one night I try very hard to be at home, to have a relaxed night in, as a last bit of indulgence before the weekend is over. Sunday night is a recuperative night, to restore and soothe you for the week ahead. Good food is integral to this and I absolutely believe that a slow cooked supper is the best foundation for a languorous night on the sofa. If you can dedicate your mind to it, chopping and stirring can be almost meditative, having a gentle rhythm to help escape from that endless to-do list whirring around your mind. Not to mention that slow cooking naturally lends itself to comfort foods – succulent slow cooked meats, casseroles and puddings, such a luxury compared to weekday grab and go meals.

The rain felt endless this weekend. A deluge from the sky. The sort of weather where the most tempting activities are all sofa based. I’d eaten a lot of meat and rich food over the weekend, a big plate of roast veggies was just the thing I needed. Having spent the summer months without consuming anything resembling a root vegetable, roasted roots have regained their appeal, so I set about chopping with zeal. Without any accompaniment, this is probably enough for 3 or 4 portions, so providing a few leftovers for the two of us. Read more