This would be perfect for a festive meal. The squash can be fully prepared in advance, the halves filled and chilled until ready to bake.

Method

• Preheat oven to 170°C fan 190°C.

• Halve the butternut squash lengthways and place, cut side up, in a smallish roasting tin. Scrape out the seeds and fibres, score the flesh, season, drizzle with 1 tbsp of the olive oil, cover with foil and roast for about 45 minutes until the flesh is tender all the way through when tested with the point of a knife.

• Meanwhile, tip the onion and leek into a sauté pan, add 1½ tbsp olive oil and cook over a low–medium heat, stirring often, until softened and just starting to turn golden at the edges.

• Add the mushrooms and garlic, stir to combine and cook for a further 5 minutes until the mushrooms are tender.

• Tip in the drained rice, pour in the stock and season well with salt and black pepper.

• Cover the pan with a disc of baking paper, or half-cover with a lid, and simmer very gently for about 30 minutes until the rice is al dente and there is still a little stock remaining in the pan. Remove from heat and tip into a large bowl.

• Add the chestnuts, walnuts, hazelnuts, cranberries, balsamic vinegar, parsley and thyme leaves to the rice. Use a spoon to scoop out the cooked flesh from the squash halves, keeping the skin intact and leaving a shell of about 1cm thick on all sides. Roughly chop the squash, add to the rice and season well.

• Lay the bay leaves and rosemary sprigs in the roasting tin and place the butternut squash halves on top.

• Spoon the rice mixture to fill each half – any leftover can be cooked alongside in another baking tin. Cover with foil and bake for 30 – 35 minutes until piping hot. Remove foil, scatter with breadcrumbs, cheese and a drizzle of olive oil and return to the oven for a further 10 minutes until crisp. Cut into slices and serve.
  
  Extract credit: Eat More Vegan by Annie Rigg (Pavilion Books)

First published in the JC Septemer 28 2023