Recipes: Roasted Squash and Lentil "Tray Bake"

I'm not a very adventurous cook, and that's an understatement. Cupcakes and chocolate cakes made with yogurt are my usual fare. However, when I harvested my first crop of summer squash* I couldn't let them go to waste. After all, two months of anxiously poking my squash seedlings has given me a maternal instinct for my beautiful squashes - and what better way to look after them than roast them in an oven and eat them? Hmm... that sounded better in my head...

Anyway, I am attempting my own spin on a recipe from the Times magazine to use my summer squashes. The original recipe was intended for butternut squashes - a sister variation to mine, except they are harder to grow in the boggy British climate. I also changed or added some of the ingredients to suit my Mum's personal taste. With this type of meal, you can make as many variations as you want, depending on what you have in your fridge and what you enjoy, as it's very forgiving. If you like the look of this kind of food, or have grown some squashes yourself, I'd recommend you'd give it a try.

*Summer squashes are smaller than Butternut, very easy to grow in British weather and generally fruit around autumn. There are many types, but squashes are usually green or yellow.




Tray-Roasted Summer Squash and Lentil Thai Curry - Serves Two

You will need:

• One red onion (loosely chopped)
• 200g courgette (loosely chopped)
• 300g summer squash (peeled and chopped)
• Two spoonfuls of smoked paprika or spice of your choice
• 50g of Thai curry paste - easily brought your average Tesco
• 75ml of single cream 
• 150g of brown lentils (pre-soaked)

To garnish:

• A handful of chopped coriander and mint
• 20g of flaked almonds
• Plain yogurt

1. Preheat the oven to 220C/Gas 9 and place the onion, courgette, squash and curry paste into a roasting tray. Pour in 75ml of hot water and toss. Tightly seal the tray with foil and place in the oven. Cook for ten minutes. 
2. Next, add the lentils and cream along with the paprika (or other spices), before sloshing in some more hot water. Recover and cook for fifteen minutes.
3. Add water (when lentils have dried out) at regular intivals - trust me, they'll soak it up! I cooked my lentils for a total of 25 minutes, but the lentils were too dry at the end. Consequently, I would suggest prodding your dish every ten minutes and adding water when needed. 
4. Once fully cooked (squash and lentils should be soft), remove from the heat and garnish with the almonds and herbs. Serve with yogurt!