Spicy soup, roast squash and nasu dengaku: Michael Wignall’s recipes for winter pumpkin and squash

Roast pumpkin and chilli soup with feta

Prep 5 min
Cook 45 min
Serves 4

800g pumpkin (ie, about 1 large pumpkin) – crown prince, or similar
Salt and black pepper
1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
3 tbsp olive oil
2 white onions
4 garlic cloves
1 red pepper, stalk, seeds and pith removed
2 red chillies, stalks removed
100ml white wine
500-700ml vegetable stock – the amount you need will depend on the pumpkin’s water content
1 x 200g block feta
Extra-virgin olive oil, to finish

Heat the oven to 200C (180C fan)/390F/gas 6. Cut the pumpkin in half, remove the seeds, then cut into chunks, leaving the skin on. Put the pumpkin on a large oven tray and season with salt, pepper, a sprinkling of thyme leaves and two tablespoons of olive oil, and toss to coat. Cover the tray in foil, then bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and roast uncovered for 15 minutes longer, until lightly coloured.

While the pumpkin is roasting, prepare all the other veg. Peel and slice the onions very thinly, peel and finely chop the garlic, and finely dice the red pepper and chillies.

Put the remaining tablespoon of oil in a heavy-based, preferably nonstick pan on a medium-low heat, then add the onion and garlic, and sweat for about five minutes, until translucent. Season with salt, stir in the diced red pepper and chillies, then pour in the wine and 500ml vegetable stock and bring to a simmer.

Remove the squash from the oven, scoop all the flesh off the skins and into the onion pan, and cook for five minutes. Tip into a blender and blitz to a silky-smooth pouring consistency – you may need to add more stock to get it just right.Ladle into bowls, crumble the feta on top and finish with a drizzle of good extra-virgin olive oil.

Roast butternut squash bruschetta with pumpkin and sunflower seed pesto, honey dressing and cured pork

Prep 10 min
Cook 1 hr
Serves 4

For the squash
1 x 500-600g butternut squash
Salt and black pepper
2 tbsp olive oil
6 garlic cloves, peeled and finely sliced
1 tsp chilli flakes
3 sprigs fresh sage

For the pesto
100g basil leaves
3 garlic cloves, peeled
100g toasted sunflower seeds
100g toasted pumpkin seeds
50g parmesan, grated
7 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

To serve
1 loaf ciabatta
Extra-virgin olive oil, to finish
250g sliced parma ham

For the dressing
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 tsp runny honey – heather honey, for preference
50ml extra-virgin olive oil

Heat the oven to 200C (180C fan)/390F/gas 6. Cut the squash in half, scoop out the seeds (save them for another use), then put the squash halves on an oven tray. Season, drizzle over some olive oil, then scatter over the sliced garlic, chilli flakes and sage sprigs, and roast for 45 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the pesto. Blanch the basil in boiling water for 30 seconds, then scoop out and drop straight into a bowl of iced water, to cool it down rapidly and set the colour.

Put all the other pesto ingredients bar the oil in a blender . Squeeze the excess water from the basil, add the blanched leaves to the blender, then blitz smooth. With the motor running, slowly add the oil until the mix comes together into a rough paste (add a little more oil, if need be), then season to taste and set aside.

Cut the ciabatta into 2cm-thick slices, drizzle a tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil over one side, then grill until toasted and golden.

Meanwhile, make the dressing: in a small bowl, whisk the vinegar, mustard and honey, then slowly whisk in the oil until the mix thickens and emulsifies. Season to taste.

Now build the bruschette. Dress each slice of ciabatta with extra-virgin olive oil, top with some of the soft, cooked squash, then spread it over the bread. Top with a slice of ham, folding it on neatly, then add a splodge of pesto. Give the dressing another whisk, drizzle over everything, and enjoy.

Butternut squash nasu dengaku

Prep 10 min
Cook 45 min
Serves 4

2 butternut squash (about 1kg in total)
1 tsp neutral oil (eg, sunflower oil)
Salt and black pepper
1 tsp toasted sesame seeds, a mixture of white and black, ideally, to finish
2 spring onions, green parts only, very finely sliced (save the whites for another use), to finish

For the miso dengaku
2 tbsp mirin
2 tbsp sake
2 tbsp soft brown sugar
4 tbsp miso paste, red, ideally

Heat the oven to 200C (180C fan)/390F/gas 6. Cut the squashes in half, scoop out the seeds then score the flesh all over in a crisscross pattern about 2½cm apart and 2½cm deep. Put the squash halves on a baking tray, brush all over with oil, then season – don’t be too heavy with the salt, though, because miso is already quite salty. Bake for about 40 minutes, until soft.

Meanwhile, make the glaze. In a small saucepan, combine the mirin, sake, sugar and miso, bring to a simmer over a low heat then cook, stirring, for two to three minutes, until slightly thickened.

When the squash is cooked, take it out of the oven and brush the flesh with the miso glaze. Transfer to a hot grill and cook for a couple of minutes, until the glaze is lightly caramelised and nice and shiny (take care not to take it too far, otherwise the glaze will go dull). Garnish with the toasted sesame seeds and spring onion greens, and serve immediately – a bowl of plain white rice would not go amiss.

• Michael Wignall is chef/patron of The Angel at Hetton near Skipton in North Yorkshire