Festive Stuffed Butternut Squash with Brussels Sprout Chips Garnish
Author: 
Recipe type: Main Course
Cuisine: Christmas
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 4
 
This festive stuffed butternut squash with cranberries, leeks, buckwheat and orange makes a colourful vegan centre piece for any festive entertaining. It's topped with Brussels sprout chips which are just as good as a garnish as they are for a side dish in their own right.
Ingredients
Stuffed squash
  • 2 small butternut squash, split in half, seeds scooped out.
  • 75 g buckwheat, rinsed well
  • 1 medium leek, finely sliced
  • 75 g fresh or frozen cranberries
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 teaspoon dried or fresh thyme
  • Zest of ½ orange, plus juice half orange
  • Olive oil
  • Sea salt and black pepper
sprouts
  • You will need approximately 3 sprouts per person
  • Sea salt and black pepper
  • Olive oil
Instructions
festive stuffed squash
  1. Pre-heat oven to 200º C (fan).
  2. Place the butternut squash halves on a baking try cut side up. Drizzle with olive oil and season, then bake for 45-60 minutes, until the squash is fork tender. Set aside until cool enough to handle. Reduce oven temp to 180ºC (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 cook for up to 10 minutes, of until fully softened. Add the cranberries, garlic and herbs and cook for another minute or so. 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 mix. Add the buckwheat, orange zest and juice then 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 removing the base and then easing them off. Toss lightly with olive oil and season then bake at 180ºC for 5 minutes (check regularly as they burn easily, rather like kale chips)
  2. 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.
Recipe by Ceri Jones Chef at https://cerijoneschef.com/festive-stuffed-butternut-squash/