Mind The Gap
Ah, the hungry gap, that curious season when winter's hearty vegetables are long gone, and the summer's bounty has yet to fully bloom. It's like nature's little pause button, isn't it?
It's a time for culinary creativity, embracing what's available locally, and perhaps discovering new flavours and textures along the way.
This week we’ve sharing three ways to use the nutrient rich, high fibre and readily available butternut squash. You’ll find it teamed up with other vegetables in season at the moment, items you would perhaps have own your store cupboard and in one recipes some locally foraged wild garlic. We hope you love then as much as we do.
They’re all meat free and even if that’s not your thing everyday, for the sake of the planet it’s worth trying it on one or two days each week - more info on the UN website here
First up - a twist on the hasselback potato - a hasselback squash!
This one from Riverford uses honey, mustard and balsamic glaze: https://www.riverford.co.uk/recipes/hasselback-butternut-squash
This, from Olive Magazine uses tinned cherry tomatoes and rose harissa:
https://www.olivemagazine.com/recipes/vegetarian/hasselback-harissa-squash/
and this delight from the BBC is delicious with it’s pomegranate molasses, tahini and chestnuts:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/hasselback_butternut_17190
Second - of course we have to include a Butternut Squash Risotto
This is a simple recipe - personally I used Noilly Prat rather than wine but either will do
https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/simple-squash-risotto
This recipe is from local Bristol-based bloggers Lovely Jubley and uses wild garlic and asparagus so you’ll get to take a walk and eat - what’s not to love!
https://lovelyjubley.com/wild-garlic-and-asparagus-risotto/
And last, but not least - roasted butternut squash.
If you like to spice things up in the kitchen try this with Gochujang, a spicy fermented red chilli paste popular in Korean cooking. It’s available in most supermarkets
https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/gochujang-and-sesame-roasted-winter-squash
If you like to keep it healthy this squash and kale salad with quinoa is just the thing
https://eatwithclarity.com/butternut-squash-and-kale-salad/
If you’d like to share your own ‘hungry gap’ recipes just email them to us at sustwells@gmail.com - we’d love to see them!