Monday, 11 January 2010

Fully loaded butternut squash skins

With the current weather conditions it's all about hibernation and hearty fare for me at the moment. These butternut squash 'skins' are a variation on the traditional potato version, but make nice a change from the trusty spud and are still incredibly simple.
Halve the squash lengthwise, scoop out any seeds from the centre, and score the centre a bit to help it cook faster (be careful not to slice all the way through to the skin though). Place on a baking sheet and cook for around 40mins in a medium hot oven (gas mark 6). Once the halves of squash are soft and full cooked through, carefully scoop out the flesh making sure to keep the skin in tact. You may want to leave the squash to cool for a bit before starting this. Once you have all the flesh in a bowl stir in a couple finely chopped spring onions, a tablespoon of butter, a good handful of cheddar cheese, and some finely chopped chives. You could also add some fried mushrooms or regular onions, or a different cheese like mozarella. Carefully place your chosen mix back into the squash skins and top with a bit more cheese. Return to the oven for around 20mins or until the cheese is melted and golden brown.
Shovel into face while wondering if it would be wrong for one person to eat an entire butternut squash. Or show more reserve and allocate a halve per person and serve with some steamed brocolli and a couple of spicy tuna fishcakes (a.k.a. fish chop).

9 comments:

Unknown said...

I love stuffed pumpkin (squash) - so bright and cheery!

TheFastestIndian said...

Me too- though I think my photography makes it look even more orangey!

Nora said...

YUM! That's a really great idea. I love butternut squash and what a fab way to make it the star of the meal. Will have to give this a go.

TheFastestIndian said...

Thanks for the comment and the award- just need to find a bit of time to think of my set of blog winners!

The Ample Cook said...

What a brilliant idea, how come I've never thought to do that? Looks delicious.

Love 'tuna fishcakes (a.k.a. fish chop)' :o)

eatmynels said...

Good thinking!

TheFastestIndian said...

Why thank you both!

grimblefish said...

I can attest that this was really, really yummy, even if in the photo it does look like a tumour.

TheFastestIndian said...

Oh. Well admittedly photography skills not the best, but I think this down to your poor lighting conditions. I think I can attest to that.