Spiced Butternut squash-barley & yellow split pea filling-tahini dressing
I’m a big fan of using spices, especially with veggie-based recipes.
Even with cooking for many years, there never seems to be no end to the combinations and experimentations, hopefully this recipe will inspire you to try different blends, as well as the kitchen classics.
Fennel will bring a slight aniseed note, cumin, which I would use a lot, has a musky flavour, and with fenugreeks bittersweet taste, these three spices are perfect, for gently spicing up a butternut squash, along with some sumac for a hint of acidity.
Barley and the split peas, will add a nutritional hit of protein and fibre, alongside other vitamins and minerals.
Then to finish, a mildly nutty, lime fragrant tahini dressing.
It should leave you suitably stuffed. 🤣
Blending the filling ingredients together.
Butternut squash, just out of the oven. Add in any of the oil & juices gathered in the cavity to the filling.
Spiced barley & yellow split pea filled butternut squash with tahini dressing
Substantial and versatile, butternut squash is perfect for stuffing with all sorts of ingredients. This one is filled with barley and yellow split peas, enough for four, so if you need to feed more, just stick another squash in the oven, the extra filling could also be served as a salad for another meal.
Ingredients
- 1 x Butternut squash split in two and seeds removed. Score with a sharp knife, but not all the way through.
- 1 x Teaspoon Fenugreek
- 1 x Teaspoon cumin seeds
- ½ x Teaspoon fennel seeds
- 1 x Teaspoon sumac
- 1 x Tablespoon honey
- 1 x red onion cut into wedges skin left on
- 2 x Tablespoon rapeseed oil or sunflower
- Salt & pepper
Directions
- Toast all the spice seeds over a moderate heat in a dry pan until lightly fragrant. Crush using a mortar and pestle or spice grinder.
- Place the squash on a baking tray along with the onion wedges, scatter over the spices and oil, drizzle over the honey and season. If you have any sprigs of rosemary or thyme, pop some in between the squash. Cover in foil and bake in pe-heated oven 180c /gas-4 for approx.50-60min, or you can insert a knife to check if it is tender. Remove the onions after 40 minutes, leave a side to cool, these are to be added to the filling.
Ingredients barley & yellow split pea filling
- 40g Cooked yellow split peas, approx. 20g raw weight.
- 50g Cooked barley, approx. 20g raw weight.
- 15g Golden raisins
- 15g Pumpkin seeds
- Cooked red onion roughly chopped.
- 20g Chopped pistachio nuts.
- 50g Goat’s cheese or feta, 100g if making for 4
- 50g Pomegranate seeds approx.
Directions
- Blend together the raisins, barley, peas, onions & pumpkin seeds, add in half the dressing and mix, season to taste with salt & pepper.
- Spoon the filling along the top of the squash, place on little fragments of the goat’s cheese, sprinkle with the nuts, and place back in the oven for 15 minutes until heated through.
- To finish, dot over the little jewels of pomegranate, serve with extra tahini dressing.
Tahini dressing
Ingredients
- 2 x Tablespoon tahini paste
- 1 x Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 x Tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 x Tablespoon white wine vinegar
- ¼ x Teaspoon of harissa
- Zest of 1 lime & half of the juice
- Water to adjust to a creamy consistency.
Directions
- Blend all the ingredients together until emulsified, add in some water to adjust consistency.
The broken oven simple & tasty recipe ideas 