FRESH VEGGIE TRAY RECIPES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4. Wash the squash, then carefully quarter it lengthways and remove the seeds, placing the squash in a roasting tray, skin side down. Peel, quarter and scatter over the onions, drizzle with 1 tablespoon of oil, add the cinnamon, ground coriander and a pinch of sea salt and black pepper, finely grate over half the nutmeg, then toss together. Roast for 40 minutes, then remove from the oven. Pick and roughly chop the sage leaves with the cranberries and pistachios, toss with a light drizzle of oil, then scatter over the squash and onions. Roast for another 5 minutes, then remove and leave to cool. Tear the bread into a bowl, pour over the milk and leave to soak for a few minutes. Squeeze out any excess milk, then pinch and tear the bread into the tray of cooled veg. Using your hands, really squash and squidge everything together with another pinch of sea salt and black pepper until well mixed. Line a 1.5 litre pudding bowl with a scrunched-up sheet of wet, oiled greaseproof paper (or you can use a baking dish to give you a greater surface area for a crispy top, if you prefer). Pack in the stuffing and drizzle with 1 more tablespoon of oil, then cover with greaseproof paper, tying it in place with string. Bake for 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes, or until golden and gnarly. Use the greaseproof paper to help you lift it out of the bowl, then confidently flip it on to a plate and serve.

Steps:

• 1. Put a large casserole dish on a medium-low heat and a large non-stick frying pan on a high heat.
  2. Prick the peppers, then sit them directly on the gas flame, or under a hot grill, for 10 minutes, until charred (keep an eye on them!). Meanwhile, scrub the sweet potatoes and slice into 2cm chunks (there’s no need to peel them), then char in the hot, dry frying pan for 5 minutes, turning them halfway through.
  3. Meanwhile, peel the onions and cut into 1cm chunks, then dry-fry in the casserole dish for 3 minutes until softened. Push them to the side and drizzle in 2 tablespoons of oil, then stir in the cumin seeds, paprika, cocoa powder and peanut butter. Add 1 tablespoon of red wine vinegar and scrape up any sticky bits from the bottom of the pan, then stir in the charred sweet potato.
  4. Prick the chillies and blacken all over in the hot frying pan or directly over the gas flame. Carefully place the charred peppers on a board, then deseed and roughly chop, adding them to the casserole dish as you go. Carefully remove the charred chillies to a board, then finely chop and add to the mix.
  5. Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/gas 4.
  6. Strain the butter beans in a sieve over the casserole dish, so the juices go straight in, then tip the beans into a the hot, dry frying pan and leave them in an even layer, without stirring, until they start to char and pop, then tip into the veg.
  7. Tip in the chickpeas (juice and all) and scrunch in the tinned tomatoes, breaking them up with a wooden spoon, then pour in 1 tin’s worth of water. Finely chop and add the coriander stalks (saving the leaves for later), season with a pinch of sea salt and black pepper and stir well, then pop on the lid, leaving a little opening, and cook for 1 hour, or until thickened, stirring occasionally.
  8. Meanwhile, scrub the potatoes and dry with a clean tea towel. Prick them all over with a fork and sprinkle with a pinch of sea salt, then place on a baking tray and bake for 1 hour, or until crispy on the outside and fluffy in the middle.
  9. For the salsa, peel the onion and thinly slice with the apple, then tip into a small bowl, dress with the lime juice and season to perfection.
  10. For the cheat’s chilli sauce, blitz the jalapeños and their vinegar with the mint in a food processor until smooth.
  11. When you’re ready to serve, finely chop the coriander leaves and stir through the chilli with 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil. Grate the cheese and click off the lettuce leaves.
  12. To serve, cut a cross into each baked spud, pinching the bottoms so they open up, and transfer to serving plates. Top with the cheese, stuffing it in well, then add a good spoonful of the chilli and serve with the lettuce leaves, a dollop of yoghurt, a sprinkling of the salsa and a drizzle of the chilli sauce.