Roasted squash with walnut, lentil and coffee ragù
Pumpkin and squash are such classic winter flavours, but – as you’ll know if you’ve ever prepared one – produce great heaps of waste. If you’ve always wanted to find a way to use everything from the seeds to the skin, then give this simple recipe from Chantelle Nicholson, Illy’s UK Chef Ambassador, a go. The skins are roasted until crisp, while the seeds and pulp are used to create a simple vegetable stock. Illy is the first Italian coffee company to achieve B Corp certification, and in this recipe Chantelle uses their Cerrado Mineiro Brazil coffee. This coffee is grown exclusively with regenerative agriculture techniques, and Cerrado Minerio is the first region in Brazil to have Designation of Origin status, ensuring traceability and quality.
Ingredients
Metric
Imperial
- 1 onion squash, or red kuri squash (use 2 if they're small)
- 4 tbsp of olive oil
- 40g of unsalted butter
- 1/2 onion, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp of tomato purée
- 1/2 tsp garam masala
- 160g of lentils, dried
- 2 tbsp of espresso
- 150g of walnuts, roughly chopped
- 10g of parsley, chopped
- 100g of crème fraîche
Method
Scrub and peel the squash, retaining the peel. Quarter the squash and scoop out the seeds. Set aside a handful of peels, then place the remaining peels and seeds into a medium-sized saucepan and cover with 1.5 litres of water. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 20 minutes. Strain the stock and set aside
- 1 onion squash, or red kuri squash (use 2 if they're small)
While the stock cooks, preheat the oven to 165°C fan or your air fryer to 140℃
Coat the remaining squash peel in 1 tsp olive oil, season with salt, and place on a baking tray or in the air fryer basket. Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until crispy, moving them regularly so they cook evenly
- 1 tsp olive oil
Heat a large ovenproof frying pan over moderate heat. Add 2 tbsp olive oil and season the pan well with salt. When hot, add the squash wedges, cut-side down, cook until golden brown. Flip, and repeat with the other side. When golden on both sides, turn the wedges onto their curved side. Add a small knob of butter to each wedge, then add the remaining butter to the pan
- 2 tbsp of olive oil
- 40g of unsalted butter
Transfer the pan to the oven and roast for 10-15 minutes, or until a skewer inserted meets no resistance. Remove from the oven
Meanwhile, add the remaining 2 tsp olive oil to a medium saucepan over a medium heat. When hot, add the diced onion, season well, and cook until almost golden. Add the garlic and cook for 3 minutes
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 1/2 onion, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
Add the tomato purée and garam masala and cook for 1 minute. Pour in the squash stock and add the lentils. Simmer for 5 minutes, then add the espresso. Cook for a further 5 minutes, then add the walnuts. Cook for another 5 minutes, or until the lentils are al dente. Stir in the parsley
- 1 tbsp of tomato purée
- 1/2 tsp garam masala
- 160g of lentils, dried
- 2 tbsp of espresso
- 150g of walnuts, roughly chopped
- 10g of parsley, chopped
To serve, place the squash wedges onto plates. Spoon over the ragù, add dollops of crème fraîche, and finish with the crispy squash skins
- 100g of crème fraîche
From New Zealand law student to the opening of her first solo sustainable restaurant Apricity (which won a Michelin green star in 2023), Chantelle Nicholson’s hard work and determination – especially in evolving free-from and plant-based cooking at the highest level – has cemented her reputation as one of the UK's most forward-thinking chefs.
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