Gaz Oakley's Stuffed Butternut Squash Roast
What a beautiful array of flavours and colours, all stuffed inside this delicious vegetable.
Ingredients
- 1 Large butternut squash, washed
- a little B-well olive oil
For the glazed onions
- 2 red onions, finely sliced
- 3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 5 tbsp organic coconut sugar
For the rice
- 150 g (3/4 cup) wild rice, cooked
- 75 g 21/2oz) dried apricots, chopped
- 300 g (2 cups) mixed nuts such as hazelnuts or pecan nuts, roughly chopped
- pinch of cayenne pepper
- pinch of paprika
- juice of ½ lemon
- pinch of sea salt and pepper
- pinch of dried sage
For the sauteed mushrooms
- 160 g (1½ cups) fresh mushrooms
- 1 tsp roasted garlic powder
- sea salt and pepper
- 4 peppers, roasted, skin removed
- 6 sun-dried tomatoes, re-hydrated
- 2 handfuls baby spinach
- 5 tbsp spiced apple chutney
For the apple chutney
- 2 large tart cooking apples, peeled, cored, and chopped
- ½ cup chopped onion
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 1 tbsp grated orange peel
- 1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F). Split the squash in half lengthways, place cut-side up onto a baking tray and bake for 45 minutes, or until just soft.
- Meanwhile, make the glazed onions. Heat 3 tablespoons of water in a non-stick saucepan, add the sliced onion and sweat for 5 minutes.
- Add the vinegar and sugar, then cook for a further 10 minutes over a low heat, stirring occasionally, until caramelized. Set aside.
- Mix the rice ingredients in a mixing bowl until fully combined, then set aside.
- Sauté your mushrooms. Heat 2 tablespoons of water in a non-stick frying pan over a medium heat. Add the mushrooms, garlic powder and seasoning. Sauté for 5 minutes.
- When the squash is cooked and cooled slightly, scoop out the seeds, then scoop out a 2cm (1in) channel of flesh and mix that into the rice mixture.
- Spoon the rice one of the squash halves. Top with the peppers, onions, mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes and spinach.
- Place the other squash half on top, tie together in three places and roast for a further 15 minutes. Carve and serve straight away.
How to make the Apple Chutney
- Combine ingredients and simmer.
- Put all of the ingredients (chopped apples, onion, apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, orange zest, grated ginger, cinnamon) into a medium saucepan and stir to combine.
- Heat on high to bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, for about 40 minutes.
- Uncover and simmer off excess liquid.
- Uncover and simmer over low heat for a few minutes more to cook off any excess liquid. Remove from heat and let cool.
- Cover and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks or place excess in sterilised jars. To sterilise your jars, place them in a large saucepan filled with cold water, place over a medium heat and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 3 minutes then turn off the heat. Carefully remove the jars from the water when you’re ready to fill them. Heat all the ingredients in a heavy-based saucepan over a low heat with the lid on. Cook for 15 minutes, stirring often. Remove the jars from the hot water, spoon the sauce into the hot jars and seal. The sauce will keep for 4 weeks in the fridge.