Sin-free Squash and Pepper Stacks
Serves 4
(Can be) Vegan
Preparation time
20 mins
Cooking time
1 hour
Ingredients
| 175g | Camargue red rice |
| 2 tbsp | light olive oil |
| 150g | red onion, finely chopped |
| ½ tsp | cardamom seeds |
| ½ tsp | all spice |
| 1 ½ tbsp | raisins |
| 100g | vegetarian feta cheese, in small dice |
| or 40g | pine nuts, (toasted) |
| 3 tbsp | parsley, finely chopped |
| 1 | butternut squash (long fat-stem if possible) |
| 2 | large red peppers, each cut into 8 thick slices |
| 1 tbsp | balsamic vinegar |
| 100g | good quality cranberry sauce |
| ½ | small lemon, juice only |
Method
- Bring the rice to the boil in a medium sized saucepan and simmer for
20 – 25 minutes, ensuring it still has some “bite”.
- Using 1 tbsp of the olive oil, sauté the onion until soft and starting to caramelise. Add the spices and raisins and cook for a further 2 minutes. Combine this mixture together with the cooked rice, feta and parsley. (If making vegan, replace the feta with the pine nuts).
- Peel the stem of the squash with a vegetable peeler and cut into 8 circles approx 1 cm thick and 8-9 cm diameter. Parboil for 2-3 minutes to soften slightly.
- Heat a large ridged grill pan. Mix the remaining 1 tbsp oil with the vinegar and brush the squash and peppers with this before char grilling. Keep the cooked vegetables warm in a low oven until ready to assemble the stacks.
- Melt the cranberry sauce in a small saucepan, adding a tbsp of water if it is very thick. Once warm add the lemon juice and sieve to remove any large pieces.
- To assemble the stacks place one squash circle in the centre of a dinner plate. Place a 8.5cm ring over/on top of it and press in a quarter of the rice mixture. On top of this place a second circle and decoratively pile a quarter of the grilled peppers. Drizzle over 1-2 tbsp of sauce.
© The Vegetarian Society - (recipe created by the °Cordon Vert Cookery School)
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