HOW TO COOK SQUASH RECIPES

Steps:

• GET AHEAD You can make this on the day, if you prefer. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4. Scrub the squash (there’s no need to peel it), carefully halve it lengthways and deseed, then chop into 2cm chunks. Place in a roasting tray, toss with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and a pinch of sea salt and black pepper, then roast for 1 hour, or until soft and caramelized. Meanwhile, peel and roughly chop the onion, peel the garlic and ginger, and dry fry in a non-stick frying pan on a medium-high heat with the coriander and fenugreek seeds and the curry powder, stirring until lightly charred all over. Add the tomatoes and pineapple rings (reserving the juice), and cook for 10 minutes to soften and char, stirring regularly. Tip it all into a blender, add the coconut milk and blitz until very smooth. Return to the pan, tip in the chickpeas, juice and all, and simmer gently until the sauce is thickened. Stir in the roasted squash, then season the curry to perfection, tasting and tweaking, and loosening with the reserved pineapple juice. Cool, cover and refrigerate overnight. TO SERVE Preheat the oven to 150°C/300°F/gas 2. Place the covered pan of curry in the oven until hot through – about 1 hour. Nice with picked coriander leaves.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400°F. Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat the oven to 400°F. Meanwhile, prep the squash.
• Slice the squash in half. Use a chef's knife to cut the spaghetti squash lengthwise from stem to tail. Spaghetti squash are really tough and hard, so be cautious and work slowly. You can cradle the squash in a balled-up dish cloth to keep it steady as you cut.
• Scoop out the seeds. Use a spoon to scrape out the seeds and stringy bits of flesh from inside the squash. Be careful of actually digging into the flesh, though — we want that! The inside should look clean and fairly smooth. Discard the seeds (or save them and roast them for a snack!).
• Place the squash in a roasting pan or baking dish. Place the squash halves cut-side down in a roasting pan or 9x13-inch baking dish.
• Pour in a little water (optional). Pour a little water in the pan, enough to cover the bottom. Your squash will roast just fine without it, but I find that the water helps the squash steam and become more tender. You can also cover the pan with aluminum foil, if you prefer.
• Roast the squash for 30 to 45 minutes. Transfer the squash to the oven and roast for 30 to 45 minutes. Smaller squash will cook more quickly than larger squash. Check the squash after 30 minutes to gauge cooking.
• The squash is done when tender. The squash is ready when you can easily pierce a fork through the flesh all the way to the peel. The flesh will also separate easily into spaghetti-like strands. You can also taste it right now — if the noodles are still a bit crunchy for your taste, put the squash back in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes more.
• Scrape out the squash. Flip the squash to be cut-side up. Use a fork to gently pull the squash flesh from the peel and to separate the flesh into strands. The strands wrap around the squash horizontally — rake your fork in the same direction as the strands to make the longest "noodles."
• Serve the squash. Serve the squash immediately, tossed with a little butter or olive oil if desired.