JEWELLED SAFFRON RICE STUFFED SQUASH

Cook: 90 mins | Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

• 1 large butternut squash (approx. 1kg)

• 2 red onions

• A thumb of fresh ginger

• 25g dried apricots

• A large pinch of sa ron, threads or powder

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• Sea salt

• Freshly ground pepper

• 1 tsp ground cinnamon

• A pinch of chilli flakes

• 100g white basmati rice

• 500ml vegetable stock

• 25g raisins

• 25g dried cranberries

• 6 large kale leaves

• 1 orange

• A large handful of flat-leaf parsley

• 50g whole almonds

Method

1. Heat your oven to 200°C/fan 180°C/gas 6. Halve the squash lengthways. Scoop out the seeds. Place the squash, cut-side down, on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Roast for 30 mins. Let it cool for 10 mins, then scoop out the squash flesh, leaving a 1cm border. Finely chop the squash flesh and set aside. Turn the oven down to 180°C/fan 160°C/gas 4.

2. Peel and finely chop the onions. Peel and finely grate the ginger. Roughly chop the dried apricots. Soak the sa ron in 1 tbsp boiling water.

3. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a large pan. Add the onions. Season. Cook on a low heat for 10 mins, stirring, until soft. Stir in the cinnamon, ginger, chilli flakes and rice. Pour in 500ml vegetable stock. Add the sa ron along with its liquid, the apricots, raisins and cranberries and the chopped squash. Cover and simmer for 15 mins until the rice is just tender and all of the water has been absorbed.

4. While the rice is cooking, bring a pan of water to the boil. Slice the stems from the kale, keeping the leaves as whole as possible. Drop into the boiling water, blanch for 3 mins, plunge into ice-cold water and squeeze dry. Set aside.

5. Squeeze the juice from half the orange into the rice. Roughly chop the parsley leaves, stalks and the almonds. Add to the rice. Fold together. Adjust the seasoning.

6. While the leeks fry, peel and finely grate the ginger into a bowl. Finely grate the zest from the orange into the ginger and squeeze in the juice. Finely chop the dates and dried apricots and stir them in. Set aside. When the leeks are soft, tip the rice into the pan. Cook and stir for 2 mins.

7. Lay your two squash halves, cut-side up, on a board. Line with kale leaves. Spoon in the rice stu ng, pushing it in firmly. Put the two halves together and tie them with string. Place in a baking dish. Roast for 30 mins till soft and the skin has darkened. Rest for 10 mins, then carve in thick slices and serve.