Hugh Fearnley-whittingstall’s (part 1) – Spelt salad with squash and fennel, Baked ricotta with sun-blushed tomatoes and olives

“I have
to admit that when making my own commitment to cook and eat more veg, and
indeed to write this book. It was a little hard to shake off the meat lover’s
niggling prejudices,” says Hugh. “The cookery I have embraced here is
more democratic and the recipes are often a harmonious blend of several
different vegetables.” Rich in vitamin C, the fennel adds a sweetness to
this salad, while Hugh’s summer variation (see right) is suitable for vegans.”

Hugh
Fearnley-whittingstall

Spelt salad with squash and fennel

This
substantial grainy salad makes a lovely autumn/winter lunch or supper. By all means replace the fennel
with chunks of leek, or red onion wedges or halved shallots. Indeed you can
improvise a spelt salad along these lines for all seasons, and the first baby
veg of summer are a great opportunity to play with this idea.

Preparation
time: 10 minutes

Cooking
time: 45 minutes

Serves 4

Easy/prepare
ahead

Spelt salad with
squash and fennel

1 smallish
butternut squash (about 600g)

4-5tbsp
olive oil

2-3 fennel
bulbs, trimmed (any feathery fronds chopped and reserved)

1 garlic
clove, finely chopped

50g walnuts

200g
pearled spelt (or pearl barley), rinsed

Juice of
1/2 lemon

20g
Parmesan, hard goats’ cheese or other well-flavored hard cheese, grated, plus
extra to serve

A small
handful of parsley, roughly chopped

Sea salt
and freshly ground black pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 190 C, 170 C fan, 375 F, gas 5. Peel, halve and
   deseed the squash, then cut into 1.5cm chunks and scatter in a large
   roasting tin. Trickle over 2tbsp of the olive oil and season well with
   salt and pepper. Toss so that the squash is well coated and put into the
   oven to roast. Meanwhile, cut the fennel lengthways into 6 or 8 wedges.
2. After 15 minutes, add the fennel and garlic to the roasting tin and
   turn with the squash and another tbsp of olive oil. Roast for a further 20
   minutes or so, until the vegetables are soft and starting to caramelize
   around the edges. Then scatter over the walnuts and cook for another 8 to
   10 minutes. By the end, the veg should be tender and caramelized, and the
   walnuts lightly toasted and fragrant. If you want to serve this as a cold
   salad, let the veg cool completely; if you’re serving it warm, the veg can
   go into the spelt straight from the oven.
3. While the veg are roasting, cook the spelt (or barley) in plenty of
   well-salted boiling water until tender, but still with just a bit of nutty
   bite: spelt should take about 20 minutes (allow a bit longer for barley).
   Drain well and leave to cool a little (or completely, if you’re assembling
   this in advance as a cold salad). Toss with the roasted veg, walnuts and
   any oil from the roasting tin, the rest of the olive oil, the lemon juice,
   cheese, parsley and any fennel fronds. Taste and season with salt and
   pepper Shave over some more cheese and serve warm or cold.

Variation

Summer
spelt salad Cook 200g pearled spelt or pearl barley (as above), drain and add
2tbsp rapeseed or olive oil and the grated zest and juice of 1/2 lemon, season
with salt and pepper and leave to cool. When cold, toss with about 200g
blanched and cooled baby veg, which could include baby broad beans, baby
carrots and peas. Add about 300g cubed, cold, cooked new potatoes and a
shredded handful of mint. Taste and add more oil, lemon juice, salt and/or
pepper as needed. I like to finish this with a scattering of spring onions,
gently fried in olive oil for a couple of minutes so they’re tender and sweet.

Baked ricotta with sun-blushed tomatoes and olives

The ricotta cheese in this delicious recipe
contains calcium for healthy bones.

Preparation
time: 10 minutes

Cooking
time: 20 minutes

Serves 6

Easy/prepare
ahead

Baked ricotta with
sun-blushed tomatoes and olives

500g (1lb
2oz) ricotta

2 large
free-range eggs, beaten

280g jar
sun-blushed tomatoes, drained and chopped

175g (6oz)
pitted black olives, sliced handful flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped

Sourdough
toast, chicory leaves and olive oil, to serve

You will need

6 ramekins

1. Heat the oven to 180 C, 160 C fan, 350 F, gas 4. Mix the ricotta
   with the eggs, tomatoes, olives and parsley, and season with salt and
   pepper.
2. Divide the cheese mixture between the ramekins and cook in the oven
   for 20 minutes, until it has slightly souffléd and is golden brown on top.
   Serve with the sourdough toast and chicory leaves, drizzled with olive
   oil.

Per
serving: 260 calories, 20g fat (7.5g saturated), 8g carbohydrate