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November dish: Chestnut and Pumpkin Seed Croustade Cups with Butternut Squash and Cranberry Jus
Ingredients:
175g wholemeal sliced bread, made into crumbs
1½ tsp mixed dried herbs
30g pumpkin seeds
75g unsalted butter
700g butternut squash, peeled and cut into 2cm cubes
1 very small onion, peeled and finely chopped (about 50g prepared weight)
160g cooked and peeled chestnuts, chopped
2 bay leaves
120ml vegetarian red wine
200g cranberry sauce (fresh home made is best)
Method
1. Preheat oven to Gas 6/200C/400F. Grease 4 Yorkshire pudding tins with margarine or butter. Line a baking tin with foil.
2. To make the crust: Put breadcrumbs, mixed dried herbs and the pumpkin seeds into a large bowl. Melt 50g butter and pour onto the breadcrumb mixture. Mix well, then divide equally between the 4 prepared Yorkshire pudding tins. Using the back of a spoon and your fingers, press evenly into the tins to form shallow cups. Pinch the edges between your fingers and thumb to make them firm -- the edges should not be crumbly. Put in the oven and bake for about 15 minutes until crisp. Cool in the tins for about 5 minutes, then remove carefully and put on a cooling rack until ready to serve.
3. To make the filling: Melt the remaining 25g butter in a small saucepan. Put the prepared butternut squash in a bowl and toss it with half the melted butter and 2tbs water. Put the butternut squash into the foil-lined baking tin and bake in the oven for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft. It should remain moist -- if it seems to be drying out, add a little more water.
4. Meanwhile, make the chestnut pate: saute the onion in the remaining butter for about 5 minutes until soft. Add the chestnuts, bay leaf and 4tbsp of the red wine, together with 4tbsp water. Bring to the boil then reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove the bay leaf and mash the chestnuts to a moist spreading pate. If it is too dry, add a little more water.
5. Put the cranberry sauce in a small saucepan with the remaining red wine. Bring gently to boil, stirring, then simmer for about 5 to 10 minutes until the sauce has reduced a little but is still runny.
To serve: divide the warm chestnut pate between the croustades, pile the butternut squash on top. Drizzle a little of the cranberry jus around the plate, then serve the rest separately.
18 June 2008 10:53pm
You don't need the extra step and pan to steam the asparagus--during the last 5-8 (up to 10 depending on thickness) put the asparagus in the roasting tray with the potatoes. Also, toast the walnuts in a pan on the stove; better control, less washing up. I'm trying this tomorrow.
24 July 2008 09:07pm
If God would have wanted us to be vegetarians he wouldn't have made animals out of meat!
27 August 2008 03:38pm
If you read the bible you will see that man/woman were created to be herb,plant,berries,nut ect. They didn't eat meat till much later in the bible and it was after sin happened. Prior to sin there was no death of anykind including animals.
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