Tromboncino squash with mozzarella, fermented chilli and tomato
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Summer provides us with a wealth of incredible vegetables to work with, and this dish from chef Alan Stewart does them proud. Cooking the squash whole over coals gives it an incredible flavour, and once paired with creamy mozzarella, piquant lightly cooked tomatoes and fermented chillies (which are well worth making a batch of!), the resulting dish is pure summer on a plate.
Watch Alan prepare this dish as part of our Signature Series video masterclasses.
Ingredients
- 1 handful of red chillies
- 2 Tromboncino squash , or very good quality courgettes or summer squash
- 1 shallot , diced
- 40ml of olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
- 1 handful of nasturtium leaves
- 10 cherry tomatoes
- 15ml of cider vinegar
- 140g of buffalo mozzarella , (1 ball)
- 1 tbsp of capers , (Alan uses nasturtium capers, but regular ones work well too)
- nasturtium flowers and leaves , to garnish
- sea salt
- freshly ground black pepper
Equipment
- Barbecue
Method
1
Begin by fermenting the chillies, as they take a minimum of 2 weeks to ferment. Place the chillies in a clean, sterilised jar, ensuring they’re tightly packed. Mix a litre of water with 20g of salt to create a 2% salt brine, then pour this into the jar, ensuring the chillies are completely submerged. Seal and leave the jar at room temperature for 2 weeks, opening and then closing the lid every day or so to allow the built-up gas to escape. After 2 weeks, store the jar in the fridge – the chillies will keep indefinitely
2
Light a barbecue and wait until the coals turn white, and preheat an oven to 160°C/gas mark 3
3
Place the whole squash on the barbecue and cook, turning occasionally, until they are very well charred on the outside and have started to soften. Transfer them to a sheet of foil then drizzle with oil, season with salt and place a few nasturtium leaves on top. Wrap tightly and place in the oven to finish cooking for around 12 minutes
4
Meanwhile, gently cook the diced shallot in the 40ml of olive oil until soft, seasoning with a little salt. Roughly chop the tomatoes and 1 fermented red chilli, then add then to the pan along with the cider vinegar. Cook over a gentle heat until the tomatoes begin to break down
5
To serve, slice the squash into bite-sized pieces and divide between 2 plates. Tear chunks of mozzarella and place them on top, then chop some nasturtium leaves and stir them into the dressing. Spoon over the tomato dressing and garnish with capers, nasturtium leaves and flowers
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Tromboncino squash with mozzarella, fermented chilli and tomato
