23 hours ago
10
I try to grow a few varieties of squash every season, but in the past couple of years the results have more or less failed me. I originally put that down to the lack of time and attention I’d given those poor plants, but I’m now starting to wonder if the soil in my raised garden beds overlooking Lyme Bay in Dorset is actually right for them.
I’m not giving up just yet, though, and this year I’ll be trying different varieties in a different bed that I’ve prepared and composted over the winter with seaweed mulch. As luck would have it, however, my friend Rob Corbett came to the rescue a couple of weeks ago by giving me several specimens when he delivered some wine from his Castlewood vineyard a few miles away in east Devon. If you know your gourds even a little, you will also know that squashes keep for months, which is handy, because they ideally need to cure and ripen before use. Happily, that also means you can use your crop throughout the long winter months.
I suppose that when you grow your own squashes and pumpkins, you potentially get stuck for what to do with them, but the possibilities are almost endless – for example, I recently made a cheesecake topped with a sweet squash relish, as well as a chocolate and pumpkin pie that’s a bit more appealing than the classic American version; I even made a squash cocktail with a new, Kentish version of the classic Italian walnut liqueur, nocino, made by Pleasant Land Distillery in Aldington, just outside Ashford. As the base, I used some of the skins, seeds and trimmings left over from making a squash risotto, and added some mezcal to the mix, too – as odd as that might sound, it was really quite delicious.
Buying a squash can be a little daunting, especially to the uninitiated, because some of the nice orange ones, such as crown prince and sunshine, are often huge and heavy, and definitely won’t fit into your shopping basket. I suspect that’s why so many shops and supermarkets sell mainly butternut, which is kind of the size of a large swede and will easily go in a shopping bag. Mediterranean and Turkish supermarkets have the right idea, though, because they often sell those nice big squashes in manageable, ready-cut wedges, an added bonus of which is that you can easily see what the flesh is like inside – not to mention how much skin and seeds you’re being expected to pay for.
I’ve used a fair amount of squash in today’s recipe for a colourful winter salad, both roasted and shaved, which brings a lovely contrast in textures and flavours to proceedings. I used crown prince, because I had one that was ripe and ready to go, but any ripe, orange-fleshed squash, or a mixture of squashes, would work well.
If you like, top the salad with a scattering of toasted reserved pumpkin seeds, or even chop some up and add them to the dressing for a bit of extra crunch.
Roast pumpkin and pickled walnut salad
Serves 4 as a side
2 tbsp rapeseed oil, or olive oil
400g ripe, orange squash flesh (crown prince, sunshine or butternut), peeled and deseeded
Salt and black pepper
A couple of handfuls small salad leaves, washed and dried
A few sprigs of fresh tarragon, leaves picked (optional)
4 pickled walnuts, drained (save the liquid) and cut into 1cm dice
For the dressing
1 tbsp cider vinegar
1 tbsp pickled walnut liquor from the jar
3-4 tbsp rapeseed oil, or pumpkin seed oil
Toasted pumpkin seeds, whole or chopped, to finish (optional)
Heat the oven to 200C (180C fan)/390F/gas 6. Put the oil on a roasting tray and stick it in the oven to heat up. With a vegetable peeler or on a mandoline, shave a third of the squash flesh into ribbons, put them in a bowl of iced water and put in the fridge until needed – they will curl up a little while chilling.
Cut the rest of the squash into wedges or rough chunks. Season the squash chunks, then carefully toss them in the hot oil and roast for about 30 minutes, turning once halfway, until tender and lightly coloured all over.
Meanwhile, drain and dry the shaved squash, then mix with the salad leaves, tarragon and pickled walnuts. In a small bowl, whisk all the ingredients for the dressing with any leftover oil from the squash roasting tray, then season to taste.
Arrange everything in a large bowl or plate, or on individual plates, then spoon over the dressing and serve, perhaps topped with a few toasted pumpkin seeds.
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Mark Hix is a restaurateur and writer based in Lyme Regis, Dorset. His latest limited-edition book, Fishy Tales, with illustrations by Nettie Wakefield, is published at £90.
