There are many versions of classic pasta dishes but this take on squash pasta is such a great comfort food. This is a relatively quick but very tasty dish which satisfies the whole family at my house. The savouriness of the sage adds an extra lift. You can use dried or fresh pasta.
Serves: 4
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 35 minutes
1 butternut squash, peeled, halved, deseeded and diced
2 bay leaves
4 sprigs of thyme
½ nutmeg, grated
75g butter
80g blanched hazelnuts, roughly chopped
20 sage leaves
350g tagliatelle pasta
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Put the diced squash in a medium saucepan, cover with cold water, season with a generous pinch of salt and add the bay leaves and thyme. Bring to the boil and simmer for 20–25 minutes until tender, then strain off the water and remove the bay leaves and thyme sprigs.
Add the nutmeg and 25g of the butter and lightly mash the squash. Season to taste and keep warm.
Heat the remaining 50g butter in a large frying pan over high heat. When foaming, add the hazelnuts and sage. Season with sea salt and pepper and cook for 5–8 minutes until golden and crispy, and the butter has browned.
Cook the tagliatelle according to the packet instructions. Drain and mix with most of the hazelnut and sage butter. Gently mix through the butternut squash mash and serve, topped with the remaining hazelnut, sage and brown butter.
COURGETTE, SPELT AND CUMIN FRITTERS
These fritters make a lovely summery meal – fresh, vibrant and full of nutrients. They are simple to make and if you choose a vegan cheese they can be vegan friendly, too. Try to use whole spices rather than ground, toasting them and crushing them when required; the flavour is much more intense. The cashew salad adds a lovely richness to the dish.
Serves: 4
Preparation time: 25 minutes, plus 30 minutes salting
Cooking time: about 50 minutes
5 green courgettes, 4 coarsely grated (around 1kg total grated weight)
2 tsp table salt
1 yellow courgette, sliced into ribbons
80g cashew nuts, roasted and roughly chopped
FOR THE FRITTERS
100g spelt
4 tbsp vegetable oil, plus extra for frying
4 shallots, finely diced
1 garlic clove, finely grated
2 tbsp cumin seeds, toasted and crushed
4 tbsp plain flour, plus extra for coating
grated zest of ½ lemon
3 tbsp finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
70g grated vegan cheese or Cheddar cheese
½ tsp English mustard powder
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
FOR THE VINAIGRETTE
4 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
½ tsp wholegrain mustard
Put the grated courgette in a colander, sprinkle with the 2 teaspoons of table salt and toss to distribute the salt. Set the colander over a bowl or the sink and leave for 30 minutes to drain.
Cook the spelt according to the packet instructions. Drain well. Heat 2 tablespoons of the vegetable oil in a frying pan over medium heat. When hot, add the shallots and garlic and cook for 5–7 minutes until soft but not browned. Add the cumin, mix well, then transfer to a bowl.
Put the grated courgettes in a clean tea towel and squeeze out as much of the liquid as possible. Tip them into the bowl with the shallots and garlic. Add the flour and lemon zest and mix well. Add 2 tablespoons of the chopped parsley, the cheese, cooked spelt, mustard powder and a generous twist of black pepper. Fry a little of the mix in a pan with a little oil, taste to check the seasoning and add more salt if necessary. Shape the mixture into 12 balls, then flatten into patties.
To make the vinaigrette, whisk the olive oil, white wine vinegar and wholegrain mustard together in a bowl. Set aside. Slice the remaining green courgette into circles then mix with the yellow ribbons, the remaining chopped parsley and the cashew nuts.
Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a large, non-stick frying pan over medium heat. When hot, add half the patties and fry for about 5 minutes on each side, until golden on the outside and cooked through. Repeat with the remaining patties.
To serve, place two fritters on each plate, dress the courgette ribbons and rounds with the vinaigrette, season with sea salt and pepper and serve alongside the fritters.
MUSHROOM ‘RAVIOLI’ WITH SHALLOT SAUCE AND GRILLED SPRING ONIONS
These ‘ravioli’ are made with dumpling wrappers rather than pasta. They are very handy to have in the freezer for when you want to make this modern version of ravioli. It’s the perfect way to practise your ravioli-making skills without having to make fresh pasta. This whole dish is also dairy-free and egg-free.
Serves: 4 (makes 12 ‘ravioli’)
Preparation time: 35 minutes, plus cooling
Cooking time: around 1 hour 10 minutes
24 gyoza wrappers
1 bunch of spring onions, roots trimmed off
1 tbsp olive oil
sea salt
FOR THE MUSHROOM FILLING
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 shallot, finely diced
2 flat-cap mushrooms, finely diced (around 175g)
2 sprigs of thyme
1 bay leaf
15ml Madeira wine
FOR THE SHALLOT SAUCE
2 tbsp vegetable oil
4 shallots, finely sliced
4 tbsp balsamic vinegar
400ml coconut milk
To make the mushroom filling, heat the vegetable oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the diced shallot and cook for 7–10 minutes, until soft but not brown. Increase the heat to medium-high, add the mushrooms, thyme, bay leaf and season well with sea salt. Cook for about 10 minutes until all of the liquid from the mushrooms has evaporated, then add the Madeira and cook until it has evaporated. Remove the thyme sprigs and bay leaf and place the mushroom mix in a container. Cover and chill.
To make the shallot sauce, heat the vegetable oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the sliced shallots, season with sea salt, and cook for 5–7 minutes, stirring regularly, until they are a deep golden colour. Add the balsamic vinegar and simmer until all the liquid has evaporated. Add the coconut milk and simmer for 5 minutes. Place in a blender and blitz until smooth, then pass through a fine sieve into a bowl to remove any lumps.
To make the ravioli,