Butternut squash is one of a group of in most cases large fruits known as “winter” squashes.

It has not been well-known in Britain for very long, but now it is you should take advantage.

It’s a very versatile food item with a rich, sweet taste and can be used in both sweet and savoury dishes. This dish can also be made with pumpkin.

Ingredients

• 1 butternut squash
• About 450g/1lb leeks, trimmed to leave whites only, beards removed, halved and sliced thinly
• 220g/8oz courgettes, sliced
• 400g tin tomatoes
• 400g tin chick peas, or 140g/5oz dried, soaked for at least 12 hours and boiled until soft (at least an hour)
• 25g/1oz butter
• 2 tbsps olive oil
• Tsp ground cumin
• Tsp ground coriander
• Salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

What to do

• Preheat oven to 200°C/400°F/#6.
• Cut the squash in half, remove peel and seeds, and cut into bite-sized cubes.
• Spread on baking parchment, a greased oven-proof plate or aluminium foil.
• Roast until tender and lightly browned, about 25 to 30 minutes.
• While they’re cooking, melt the butter over a medium light on the stove and add the leeks.
• Cook until soft but not browned, about 8-10 minutes, then stir in the cumin and coriander and cook for another minute.
• Remove from the frying pan and put them into an oven-proof vessel which will hold all the ingredients.
• Heat the olive oil on a high light and add the courgettes to the frying pan. Cook quickly, turning every couple of minutes, until well-browned.
• Add these to the squash, followed by the tomatoes, chickpeas and salt and pepper. (If using tinned chick peas, remember they’ll be pretty salty to start with, so you may not need to add salt.)
• Mix really well, cover the oven-proof pan or pot and bake for 15 minutes. I like this served with a grain dish such as rice or couscous.