Hamilton Squash

method

First of all, soak your porcini for 5 minutes in V cup of boiling water. Preheat the oven to 450oF. Using a teaspoon, score and scoop out some extra flesh from the length of the squash (see pictures opposite). Finely chop this flesh with the squash seeds and add to a frying pan with 4 glugs of olive oil, the onion, garlic, coriander seeds, chilli, rosemary and sun-dried tomatoes.

Fry for 4 minutes until softened. Add the porcini and half their soaking water. Cook for a further 2 minutes before seasoning. Stir in your rice and pine nuts, pack the mixture tightly into the 2 halves of the squash and then press them together. Rub the skin of the squash with a lit- tle olive oil, wrap in foil, and bake in the preheated oven for about 11/2 hours.

serves: 4

ingredients

• 1 small handful of dried porcini mushrooms
• 1 butternut squash, halved and seeds removed
• olive oil
• 1 red onion, finely chopped
• 1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon coriander seeds, pounded
• a pinch or two of dried chilli, to taste
• 2 sprigs of fresh rosemary, leaves picked and finely chopped
• 5 sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 31/2oz basmati rice
• 1/2 a handful of pine nuts, lightly roasted