Gramma Mangalitsa - squash and salami

Name: Gramma Mangalitsa - squash and salami
Total time: 2400 s
Yield: 2 servings
Cuisine: British
Ingredients: 1 x 600g squash; 1 tablespoon olive oil; 2 small garlic cloves; freshly ground salt and pepper; 20 g chopped walnuts; 75 g salami, chopped; leaves few spinach; 1 tablespoon basil pesto; 90 g Mozzarella pearls; 2 tablespoons parmesan, finely grated; good pinch lime pepper (optional); To serve:; 1 tablespoon dried onion flakes; chunk of crusty bread

Laura @FeelBetter

Milton Keynes, England

Butternut squash is native to America and was developed in Massachusetts in 1944 by Charles Legget by crossing a green pumpkin and a gooseneck squash. 'Butternut' comes from its buttery flesh and nutty flavour.

The word squash comes from the Narragansett word askutasquash meaning ‘eaten raw or uncooked’. Native Americans believed that squash was so nutritious that they would bury their dead with it to sustain them on their final journey.

Although botanically a berry, butternut squash is used culinarily as a vegetable worldwide. In Antipodean countries it is known as gramma. It is fabulous as soup and holds up well with varying spices but today I’m roasting it and giving it Italian/Hungarian flavours of mozzarella, walnuts and Mangalitsa salami.

It is unknown when the first salami was made. In Roman times, it belonged to a group of food called salsum, meaning ‘salted’. Since prehistoric times, salt was known to be an indispensible way to preserve meat; salt naturally expels water and blocks the proliferation of bacteria.

The much prized Mangalitsa (hog with a lot of lard) pig appeared in the time of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, after Archduke Joseph Anton Johann received some Sumadija pigs from a Serbian prince and crossed them with Bakony and Szalonta pigs. The resulting ‘curly hair pig’ was originally only for the Habsburg royalty but became so popular for its wonderful taste that, by the end of the 19th Century, it became the foremost breed in Europe. #GoldenApron23

Laura @FeelBetter

Milton Keynes, England

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Ingredients

40 minutes

2 servings

1x 600g squash
1 tablespoonolive oil
2small garlic cloves
freshly ground salt and pepper
20 gchopped walnuts
75 gsalami, chopped
leavesfew spinach
1 tablespoonbasil pesto
90 gMozzarella pearls
2 tablespoonsparmesan, finely grated
good pinch lime pepper (optional)
To serve:
1 tablespoondried onion flakes
chunk of crusty bread

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Steps

40 minutes

1

Heat the oven to 200 degrees C fan. Cut the squash in half with a sharp knife and scoop out the seeds. Rub the cut sides of the squash with half of the oil and season with salt and pepper. Prick the garlic cloves and add one to each of the halves.
2

Place the squash in a baking dish and roast for 30-40 minutes until tender. Let cool slightly. Carefully scrape the inside of the squash with a fork to loosen the flesh.
3

Heat a skillet over medium high heat. Add the walnuts pieces, lightly toast, remove from the pan and set aside. Add a splash of oil and the salami. Cook for 2 minutes until the oil starts to colour. Turn off the heat and add the spinach and pesto and stir. Squeeze out the garlic from the skin and stir in.
4

Divide the walnuts between the 2 halves of squash, top with the salami/spinach, mozzarella and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and the lime pepper (if adding). Return to the oven for 10 minutes until the cheese is bubbling. Top with the dried onion flakes and serve with a few salad leaves and a chunk of crusty bread.