Stuffed Butternut Squash

Ingredients

1 large
(or 2 small)		 butternut squash (about 1.5 kg)
50 g butter
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
200 g Feta cheese
1 tbsp basil leaves, shredded
salt and pepper
olive oil

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 190°C.
  2. Make sure the outside of the squash is scrubbed clean. Cut the squash in half lengthways and scoop out the seeds and soft fibres.
  3. Put in an ovenproof dish, put a little chopped garlic and a small nut of butter in each cavity, brush with olive oil and season well.
  4. Bake for about an hour, until the flesh feels very tender when pierced with the tip of a knife.
  5. Carefully scoop out the soft flesh, and the buttery, garlicky juices, into a bowl, leaving a 1cm-thick layer of flesh still attached to the skin, so the squash holds its shape. Roughly mash the flesh.
  6. Fold the feta and basil into the soft squash, along with some more salt and pepper.
  7. Spoon the filling back into the two empty squash halves, return the squashes to the oven.
  8. Bake for a further 15 minutes before serving.

Cypriot Chicken

A very quick and simple yet tasty recipe.

Ingredients

small bunch of parsley
small bunch of basil
8 sun-dried tomatoes (from a jar)
2 or 3 garlic cloves
100 g feta cheese
zest from 1 lemon
4 chicken breasts
4 sprigs of rosemary
olive oil for cooking

Technique

Chop the herbs and sun-dried tomatoes with a little of their oil, on a board.  Add the crushed garlic, feta and lemon zest.  Mix well.

Make a pocket in each of the chicken breasts.  Stuff each pocket with a quarter of the stuffing mix.  Spear shut with the rosemary sprigs.

Heat the olive oil in a frying pan.  When hot, put in the chicken breasts.  Cover lightly with greaseproof paper lightly scrunched around.  When golden, turn and cook the other side.

Cut into slices and serve.

Haloumi Stuffed Peppers

Vegetarian.  Serves 4.  Prep: 10 to 15 mins.  Cooking: up to 40 mins.

Ingredients

4 red peppers
290 g jar antipasti marinated mushrooms
50 g couscous
100 ml hot vegetable stock
250 g haloumi, cubed (or feta or mozzarella)
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
mixed salad and garlic bread, to serve

Technique

Prepare the peppers:  Preheat the oven to 180℃.  Halve the peppers through the stalks and cut out the seeds (leaving the stalks in place).  Put the peppers, in one layer, on a baking sheet.  Drizzle a spoonful of the oil, from the jar of mushrooms, over the peppers and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Bake in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes.  Meanwhile...

Make up the stuffing:  Tip the couscous into a bowl, pour in the hot stock and leave to soak for 5 minutes.  Fluff up with a fork and stir in the drained mushrooms, helium and parsley.  Season with salt and pepper and spoon into the pepper halves.  Return to the oven for 15 minutes, until the cheese is golden.

Serve warm with the mixed salad and garlic bread.


Roast Summer Vegetables

Ingredients

1 garlic bulb separated into cloves and skinned
2 lemons cut into small wedges
4 tbsp olive oil
3 large red peppers deseeded and cut into chunks
3 small red onions cut into wedges
4 large courgettes cut into wedges
200 g packet feta cheese crumbled into chunks
400 g can chickpeas drained
crusty bread to serve

Method

  1. Toss the whole cloves, peppers, onions and courgettes into the olive oil, and put into a roasting tray.
  2. Roast in the oven for an hour at 200℃.
  3. Add the feta, chickpeas and lemon wedges to the roasted veg and cook for 10-15 mins, to warm through in the oven.

Serve with crusty bread to soak up any juices.