Winter Squash, Chestnut and Mushroom Bake

Sometimes during the winter months the crisp of the outside air gets in to your bones: your hands blaze with the burn of the cold and your ears ache with the bite of the wind.  These are the downsides to the glorious season that is winter and those are the times that you long to be inside, swaddled in the warmth of your home and comforted by the bright lights of your inner sanctum.  It is on nights like these that I want to eat my Winter Squash, Chestnut and Mushroom Bake.

There is something truly reassuring about the textures produced by baked squash, chestnuts and mushrooms: their tenderness creates the soft bite of comfort while their rich woodland flavours produce a meaty denseness that feeds both the tummy and soul.  I love the fact that the combination of oat cream and ground pine nuts produces a rich, creamy sauce reminisce of any Italian yoked variation, while the garlic and thyme – both firm friends of the mushroom and chestnut – layer the dish with a rounded intensity of flavour.  Another boon of this particular dish is its simplicity to make, it takes minimum effort and only around half an hour to cook, perfect for those chilly evenings when you want a ‘curl up on the sofa’ supper.  I recommend serving it with some steamed brown basmati rice – rich in texture and support, but any variation on the rice theme will work.

This is another dish where I celebrate the use of the adaptable Oatly Oat Cream.  It really is a store cupboard necessity for both sweet and savoury allergy cooking.  You can find it in most Waitrose supermarkets or online at Goodness Direct – the web address of which can be found on my links page.

WINTER SQUASH, CHESTNUT AND MUSHROOM BAKE

Serves 4

1 medium butternut squash

1 medium onion

3 cloves of garlic

250g chestnut mushrooms

200g peeled & cooked chestnuts (St Dalfour or both available at Sainsburys & Waitrose)

The leaves from 6 stems of thyme

50g dairy free butter (Pure Sunflower Spread)

½ tbsp olive oil

250ml oat cream

100g pine nuts

A small bunch of parsley (finely chopped)

Preheat the oven to 200c (180c Fan).  Using a food processor, or nut grinder, grind the pine nuts until they are of a fine, breadcrumb like consistency.  Meanwhile, peel and deseed the butternut squash and cut in to 1 inch pieces.  Peel and finely dice the onion and garlic and cut the mushrooms into halves or quarters, depending on their size. 

Heat the dairy free butter and olive oil in a large, heavy based pan until foaming (the addition of the olive oil will stop the butter from burning), add the garlic, onion and thyme, season well and fry over a low heat until the onion becomes soft but not coloured – approximately 10 minutes.  Add the butternut squash to the pan, turn the heat up slightly and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until the pieces of squash start to give when pressed.  Add the mushrooms, mix thoroughly and cook until both the mushrooms and squash are tender – approximately another 5 minutes.

Add the cream and chestnuts to the pan and season liberally.  Bring the dish to a gentle boil and simmer for five minutes.  Spoon the squash and mushroom mixture in to an ovenproof serving dish and sprinkle evenly with the ground, toasted pine nuts.  Bake in the oven for 10 minutes, or until the dish is bubbling and golden on top, sprinkle with the chopped parsley and serve.