Autumn time is pumpkin time! And who doesn’t love them. In my kitchen we eat them in soups, stews, salads and even cakes and smoothies!
This time I decided to take it to the next level. Out of all the varieties, butternut squash is my favorite and here is what I made out of it this time:
I peeled and deseeded one small butternut squash, cut it into cubes, about 2cm, and lay them on a backing tray.
I Drizzled some olive oil, seasoned with smoked salt and pepper and sprinkled some Italian herb mix.
Then they went into the oven at 200 degrees for about 35-40 minutes till the squash was soft and caramelized.
Into a bowl went my roasted squash, a can of chickpeas (220gr) with: one chopped large clove of garlic, 1/2 tsp smoked salt, 1 tsp paprika and a pinch of cayenne pepper (or more if you like it spicy)
I used a potato masher to puree the squash and chickpeas together and added some more olive oil. Feel free to add some fresh chopped herbs like parsley of coriander. Now my filling was ready.
I used for this recipe Jersey Wakefield cabbage but white or green (savoy) works great as well. You have to remove the hard center of the cabbage and lightly steam it so you can remove the leaves easily.
Now I laid a leaf of cabbage on my work surface , placed a spoonful of filling into the middle and wrapped it into a bundle by folding the sides and then rolling the whole thing. Repeat till you finish your filling.
I placed all cabbage wraps, seam side down, in a shallow pan, tucked in few celery stalks and garlic cloves, drizzled some olive oil and started cooking on low medium heat to brown them from all sides.
I poured one cup of tomato passata over, seasoned with some more salt and pepper and cooked, with a lid on, for about half an hour.
Adjust seasoning, turn off heat and drizzle with some fresh virgin olive before serving.
