Squash Baked with Beer, Cheese, Cream and Pretzels

I love this recipe from Claire Thomson's brilliant new book Home Cookery Year which I'm tempted to say is the only cookery book you'll ever need although if you're anything like me it's highly unlikely you're going to give the other however many dozen books you've got away.

Claire writes: Squash (and pumpkins) are the prize jewel of autumn, practically toppling supermarket and greengrocer fruit and veg stands.

Always choose the variety (whether squash or pumpkin) that are superior in taste and provenance. Avoid the juggernauts set aside for Halloween, as these are produced specifically for sculpting and are usually pretty tasteless. Look for sensibly sized, ripe, firm varieties of squash: medium-size squash, like the blue-grey skinned Crown Prince, or the dark green Kabocha; or any of the smaller varieties, such as sweet Uchiki Kuri or Acorn.

Lopping the top off and pouring in beer, three types of cheese (some hard, some soft) and also cream to bake like a fondue makes this a hugely impressive centrepiece, fitting of a feast.

Serves 6

1 x 1.5–2kg (3lb 5oz–4lb 8oz) squash (such as Crown Prince), or use 2 smaller squash (such as acorn)

100g (3½oz) aged gruyère cheese, grated (shredded)

100g (3½oz) emmental cheese, grated (shredded)

100g (3½oz) reblochon cheese, finely chopped (or use taleggio, fontina, raclette or camembert)

1–2 cloves of garlic, very finely chopped

2 tsp plain (all-purpose) flour (optional, to stabilize the cheese)

150g (5½oz) pretzels, bashed into large crumbs

100ml (3½fl oz) ale or beer (such as amber ales, Belgian beers, not too hoppy)

100ml (3½fl oz) double (heavy) cream

salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/350°F/Gas Mark 4.

Cut the top off the squash to make a lid, then hollow out the seeds. Season the inside cavity with salt and plenty of freshly ground black pepper and place on a baking tray. Replace the lid loosely and bake the medium-size squash for about 1–1½ hours or small squash for 30–45 minutes, until tender when skewered.

Meanwhile, mix the cheeses together in a bowl and combine with the garlic, and the flour (if using).

Increase the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/400°F/Gas Mark 6. Remove the squash from the oven and put to one side, leaving it (or them) in the baking tray and removing the lid(s). Scrape any cooked flesh off the lid(s) and place it in the squash cavity along with a few of the pretzel pieces.

A little at a time, add in the cheese mixture, beer, pretzels and cream (a little of one, then another, then the next, and so on – and repeat), finishing with a good sprinkling of pretzel pieces and cheese. Put the lid(s) back on the squash. Carefully put the squash back into the hot oven on the tray and bake for 20–30 minutes, or until the fondue is melted and bubbling within.

What to drink: Claire suggests - and I agree - the same sort of beer you use for the recipe "not too hoppy - an amber ale or Belgian beer would be ideal."

From HOME COOKERY YEAR: Four Seasons, Over 200 Recipes for All Possible Occasions by Claire Thomson (Quadrille, £30) Photography: Sam Folan

Roast Pumpkin with Savoury Sage & Pumpkin Seed Granola

Those of you who are sceptical about vegan food should try this delicious recipe from Mildreds Vegan Cookbook by Daniel Acevedo and Sarah Wasserman. Yes, it's vegan but omnivores would enjoy it too and the pumpkin seed granola is wonderfully versatile.

Daniel and Sarah write: Since cooking with pumpkin and squash looms large in the USA’s national cuisine, Americans are well acquainted with the strange hinterland in which the pumpkin and squash reside, somewhere between sweet and savoury. Europeans, meanwhile, used to baulk at pumpkin pie one minute and pumpkin risotto the next, but we are adjusting. Although we draw the line at serving squash or sweet potato with marshmallows, we think you’ll enjoy the combination of sweet and savoury in this winter side dish, perfect for serving with a vegan roast or for a holiday meal. Alternatively, this could easily be bumped up into a salad dish in its own right by adding some peppery leaves. Use gluten-free oats for a gluten-free option.

Serves 6–8, depending on the size of the pumpkin/squash

FOR THE GRANOLA

50g (1¾oz) jumbo oats

25g (1oz) pumpkin seeds

½ tablespoon sea salt flakes

4 sage leaves, roughly chopped

½ teaspoon roughly chopped thyme leaves

3 tablespoons olive oil

4 teaspoons maple syrup

1 tablespoon Smoked Chilli Jam (see below) or 1 tablespoon redcurrant jelly and a large pinch of smoked paprika and chilli flakes

FOR THE PUMPKIN

I small pumpkin or butternut squash, de-seeded and cut into wedges 2cm (¾ inch) wide

50ml (2fl oz) light olive oil

½ teaspoon sea salt flakes

6 sage leaves

1 To make the granola, preheat the oven to 170°C (340°F),Gas Mark 3½. Line a baking sheet with baking parchment.

2 Mix the oats, pumpkin seeds, sea salt and herbs together in a bowl. Measure out the oil, maple syrup and chilli jam into a jug and whisk with a fork to combine. Add to the oat mixture and mix together well.

3 Turn the granola mixture out on to the lined baking sheet and bake for 15–20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it begins to brown. Remove from the oven and leave to cool.

4 To roast the pumpkin, preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F),Gas Mark 6. Line a roasting tray with baking parchment.

5 Toss the pumpkin or squash wedges with the oil, sea salt and sage in a bowl. Turn out on to the lined roasting tray and roast for 45 minutes–1 hour until cooked through but still holding their shape.

6 Crumble the granola over the warm pumpkin or squash and serve.

Smoked chilli jam

We use this sweet smoky condiment both as an ingredient and as a dressing. It adds a real depth of flavour to our Savoury Sage and Pumpkin Seed Granola and glazes, and can be thinned with a little water or orange juice and used to marinate tofu or tempeh before cooking. It pairs wonderfully with any chargrilled vegetables but especially peppers and leeks). If you cook up a big batch and jar it up nicely, it makes a great gift too.

GF

MAKES 10–15 SERVINGS

1 red pepper

light oil (such as sunflower,groundnut or light olive oil)

1 chipotle chilli in adobo sauce

500ml (18fl oz) water

350g (12oz) demerara sugar

grated zest and juice of ½ lemon

2½ tablespoons agar agar flakes

½ teaspoon chilli flakes

¼ teaspoon liquid smoke (see below)

½ teaspoon salt

1 Start by roasting or charring your red pepper, either in a hot oven, on the hob over a gas flame or on the barbecue.

2 If using the oven method, preheat to 240°C (475°F), Gas Mark 9. Rub the red pepper lightly with oil, sit on a baking tray and roast for about 15–20 minutes, turning frequently, until the skin is blistered on all sides.

3 Alternatively, place the pepper directly on a gas burner of the hob turned to high, turning frequently with tongs, until the skin blisters, or do the same over a hot barbecue.

4 Transfer the red pepper to a bowl, cover with clingfilm and leave to cool, then peel off the skin and remove the stem, core and seeds.

5 Blend the red pepper and chipotle chilli with the measured water in small blender, or in a measuring jug with a stick blender, to a purée. Add the purée to a saucepan with all the remaining ingredients and bring to a simmer, giving the mixture a whisk with a balloon whisk every so often to make sure the agar agar dissolves into the liquid.

6 Simmer the jam for 15–20 minutes, then remove from the heat and leave to cool. It should thicken up while cooling until it resembles a firm jelly. Once cool, spoon into clean airtight jars or bottles and store in the refrigerator for 2–3 weeks.

*Liquid Smoke Is simply water that has been filtered through wood charcoal. Try the Living Nutritionals brand (not the kind with additives), which is available from some supermarkets and online.

What to drink: A rich chardonnay or oak-aged chenin blanc would work well with this.

Extracted from Mildreds Vegan Cookbook by Daniel Acevedo and Sarah Wasserman, published by Mitchell Beazley at £25. Photograph © Matt Russell. Mildreds has 4 vegetarian and vegan restaurants in London. For locations see their website

Thomasina Miers' Mole Amarillo

To celebrate Day of the Dead - or maybe even Bonfire Night - here's a fabulous warming spicy Mexican stew for 10 from Thomasina Miers' Wahaca: Mexican food at Home.

Tommi writes: "We first tried this yellow mole outside Oaxaca’s 20 de Noviembre market, where it was mixed with shredded chicken plus a little corn dough and stuffed inside tortillas, baked into empanadas and served with the outrageously hot chile de agua and onion relish.

We tried it again a few days later at the house of one of our mezcal suppliers; his wife cooked it outside over an open fire and fed fourteen of us; it was so good that some actually wept!

It is not a complicated sauce to make, although I have substituted the chillies they use in Oaxaca for ones more readily available in Britain. I dream about putting this on the Wahaca menu. It is such a wonderfully rich, homely tasting stew.

Feeds at least 10, but freezes beautifully

Time: about 90 minutes

1 onion

2–3 garlic cloves

2–3 bay leaves

sea salt

450g neck of pork, cut into 2–3cm dice

1 large chicken, jointed into 8 pieces

450g new potatoes, cut into chunks

1 large acorn or butternut squash, peeled and cut into chunks

450g green beans, cut in half

1 cauliflower, broken into florets

hot tortillas or steamed rice, to serve

For the mole:

6 guajillo chillies

2 ancho chillies

1 teaspoon black peppercorns

8 cloves

10 allspice berries

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 large onion, quartered

2 large tomatoes

5 garlic cloves, unpeeled

1 x 790g tin tomatillos, drained

small bunch of fresh oregano or 1 teaspoon dried oregano, preferably Mexican

40g lard

2 tablespoons masa harina

small handful of tarragon, chopped

Fill a large pan with water and add the onion, garlic and bay leaves, season with salt and bring to simmering point. Simmer gently for 10 minutes before adding the pork pieces. Simmer very gently for a further 15 minutes before adding the chicken pieces. Cook for 15 minutes before turning off the heat and leaving to cool.

To make the mole, toast and rehydrate the chillies (there's a useful step-by-step guide here), soaking them for 20 minutes. Now toast all the spices in the dry frying pan until they smell fragrant, about 5–10 minutes. Grind to a powder, then transfer to a blender.

Add the onion, tomatoes and garlic to the pan and dry roast, as described below*. Transfer to the blender as they cook, remembering to slip off the garlic skins. Drain the chillies and add them to the blender with the drained tomatillos and oregano and whiz for 5 minutes to a smooth purée.

Heat the lard in a pan and, when very hot, add the purée, stirring all the time to prevent it spitting. Turn the heat down and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. Thin the masa harina with just enough of the chicken stock to make a smooth paste, then add to the mole. Stir in 2 cups of the stock, add the tarragon and cook for 15 minutes over a low heat. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary.

Meanwhile cook the vegetables. Fill a pan with water, add a teaspoon of salt and bring to the boil. Add the potatoes and cook until tender. Remove with a slotted spoon then add the squash and cook until just tender. Remove with the slotted spoon then cook the beans and cauliflower in the same way, removing each when they still have a slight bite. Do not overcook or they will turn to mush in the stew.

Drain the meat and add to the mole. Heat through, adding more stock if necessary. About 5 minutes before serving add all the vegetables to heat through. Serve the stew in shallow bowls making sure everyone gets a piece of chicken and pork and some of the vegetables. Serve with hot tortillas or, if you prefer, with rice.

Note: Traditionally a plant called hoja santa is used in this recipe. If you can get hold of it finely shred 3 large leaves and add them in place of the tarragon. Mexican chillies and tomatillos are widely available now - you can also buy them online from the Cool Chile Co or from Otomi in Bristol which also has a shop in the Clifton Arcade.

* Place a heavy-bottomed frying pan over a high heat and add the onions, tomatoes and garlic, leaving the skins on. Turn the ingredients while they are roasting so they are charred all over. Tomatoes take about 15 mins, onions about 10 and garlic 5-10 minutes.

What to drink: Personally I'd go for a beer like a golden or amber ale or lager with this dish or even a dark Mexican beer like Negro Modelo. Otherwise a rich chardonnay should match well or a syrah, grenache or tempranillo if you prefer a red.

Recipe taken from Wahaca – Mexican Food at Home by Thomasina Miers, published by Hodder & Stoughton, £20. © Thomasina Miers, 2012