There was a time when an invitation for Sunday lunch meant one thing: a large joint centre stage with a backdrop of vegetables, most of them boiled to within an inch of their lives. But in this new monthly column, I’ll be sharing the sorts of recipes I actually cook at the weekend. Yes, there will be the spirit of the traditional meal – hearty, abundant, something special – but with dishes that challenge expectations. There will be sometimes be meat, though perhaps mainly cheaper cuts; there will be masses of veg; and I’ll keep things affordable and achievable to feed the hordes at the weekend.
Whole roast squash with herby pearl barley, melted cheese and coriander chimichurri
This spectacular, warmly spiced dish looks beautiful on the table. It can happily use up any leftover Christmas cheeses – just make sure you use one that melts well, such as taleggio.
Prep 30 min
Cook 1 hr 10 min
Serves 6-8
2 medium acorn or crown prince squash
4-5 tbsp olive oil
2 white onions, peeled and roughly chopped
2 celery sticks, peeled and roughly chopped
1 guajillo chilli, or 1 tsp aleppo chilli flakes
2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp dried oregano – I use Mexican
200g pearl barley, cooked in simmering water for two minutes less than the packet instructions
240ml white wine
3 handfuls parsley leaves
200g taleggio (or ogleshield, witheridge, or brie – all great melting cheeses), diced
For the coriander chimichurri
1 bunch coriander, leaves and stems finely chopped
1 garlic clove, peeled and very finely chopped
½ tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp hot paprika
1 tbsp red-wine vinegar
100ml olive oil
Heat the oven to 180C (160C fan)/350F/gas 4. Cut the “lids” off the squash, then scoop out the seeds (you could clean and roast them for a snack, or compost). Put the squash on an oven tray, replace the lids, drizzle over two tablespoons of the olive oil and roast for 30 minutes, until the flesh is tender to the point of a knife.
Meanwhile, put a deep saute pan on a medium heat and, once hot, add the remaining olive oil, the onions and celery season generously and sweat gently, stirring often, for seven to eight minutes. While the onions are cooking, remove the stalk and seeds from the guajillo chilli and snip the flesh into small pieces with scissors, add these to the softened onions with the garlic, cinnamon and oregano, and stir-fry for a couple of minutes.
By this time, the roast squash should be tender, so take it out of the oven and scoop out some of the flesh, leaving behind an at least 2cm-thick “cup” inside each squash. Dice the scooped-out flesh, add it to the onion pan with the cooked pearl barley, and stir to combine. Pour in the wine, turn up the heat and simmer for a few minutes. Finely chop a third of the parsley and stir it into the pan along with the cheese. Spoon the mixture into the squash, and bake for another 15-20 minutes, to heat through and melt the cheese.
While the squash is baking a second time, make the salsa. Put the remaining two-thirds of the parsley and all the salsa ingredients in a food processor and blitz up, adding more vinegar or olive oil to taste, plus, if need be, a splash of water to loosen it to a drizzling texture.
Serve the squash at the table with a crisp, green salad and the chimichurri in a bowl on the side for people to drizzle over.
