Every year I say I’m not going to go mad planting Courgettes and Summer Squashes…but then I plant them, and the seedlings grow, and it seems a waste to not plant them on…and then I end up with so many I never know what to do with them (aside from bag up and send to anyone and everyone I know). GrandmaETW also does similar – although she has an easy way to pass on extras, GrandadETW gives them to everyone who brings their car to the garage for him to MOT/Service/Look at etc.

So yet again I not only had a glut, but had some giant (think pumpkin sized) squashes that I didnt really know what to do with. I’d already filled the freezer with Roasted Squash and Courgette chunks, grated courgettes and squash and then found some monsters when I came to start clearing the raised beds. I have to be honest, I was not massively happy to find them – by this point I thought I was squashed out.

So anyway, I did some googling for new recipes, and found this: https://annajones.co.uk/recipe/whole-roasted-squash. As always though, I either didn’t have the ingredients or had to adapt them to suit mine/family tastes and dietary requirements. So below is my take on the original recipe.

MummyETW’s Recipe for Whole Roasted Squash

SERVES 4 (or two people twice)

Ingredients

• One Giant Ronde De Nice Squash (that should have been harvested weeks ago to be honest) about 1.4kg with seeds and stringy bits removed.
• 2 bulbs of fennel
• 1 bulb of garlic
• olive oil
• 150g Pearl Barley
• 75g Bulger Wheat
• 30g Wholegrain Couscous
• 110g extra mature Cheddar
• the zest of 1 unwaxed lemon
• Cornish Sea Salt Co.Lemon, Black Pepper and Sea Salt
• a bunch of fennel fluffy tops
• 1 red chilli, deseeded if you like
• a knob of butter

Preheat the oven to 200oC/180oC fan/gas 6.

If needed, cut off the base of each squash, so they sit upright on a tray. My Squash was already pretty flat bottomed so I didnt bother with this step.

Cleanly cut the top of each one in a single piece (you are going to put the tops back on – the stalk makes a good handle). Use a spoon to scoop out the seeds and the fibres until you have a neat hollow. (I keep the seeds and stringy bits and freeze…t then gets chucked in soups, stews, mince, sauces etc when needed)

Trim the fennel, removing any tough outer leaves, then cut the bulbs into 4-6 big wedges.

Put the squash into a large roasting tray. Scatter the fennel wedges around and put the bulb of garlic in too. Drizzle the lot with olive oil, making sure you get inside the squash, and season with Cornish Sea Salt Co. Lemon, Black Pepper and Sea Salt.

Pop the tops back on the squash. Roast for 45ish minutes, or until the squash are tender and the fennel has started to soften and brown. If your squash take a little longer, remove the fennel once it’s nicely soft, as you don’t want it to overcook.

Meanwhile, put the Pearl Barley in a medium pan and cover with cold water. Add a vegetable OXO cube, then bring to the boil and simmer for about 15 minutes, then add the Couscous and Bulger Wheat. Boil and simmer for a further 10 minutes until al dente. Drain and transfer to a large bowl.

Remove the garlic and fennel from the roasting dish. When cool enough to handle, squeeze the roasted garlic from its papery skins into the bowl with the grains. Roughly chop the fennel and add it to the bowl along with the grated cheese, lemon zest, the knob of butter and some Cornish Sea Salt Co. Lemon, Black Pepper and Sea Salt.

Roughly chop the fennel tops and chilli and add these too. Taste the mixture and adjust the seasoning, to your taste.

Take the Squash and stuff it with the grain mix from the bowl. Return to the oven for 10-15 minutes.

Eat and enjoy! GrandmaETW and I certainly did. I couldn’t tempt the WildOnes or DaddyETW to try, but that just meant more for me!