Persian stuffed squash with tahini sauce and cinnamon onions

There are a number of steps involved in this recipe but it more than rewards the time taken to put the dish together. With its sumptuous array of Middle Eastern flavours, this dish would grace any dinner party table and would make a fabulous vegan/vegetarian dinner for Christmas Day.

2 small uchiki kuri (Japanese onion squash), or similar small squash

For the Filling:
1 onion, chopped
100 g Camargue red rice
20 g wild rice
200 g spinach, shredded
rind of a preserved lemon, finely chopped
12 black olives, freshly stoned and chopped
30 g pistachio kernels, dry fried and roughly chopped
150 g cooked organic chickpeas
6 whole cloves garlic, unpeeled
½ tsp dried chilli flakes
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ras el hanout
½ tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp sea salt
1 tbsp fresh mint
1 tbsp fresh parsley
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

For the Tahini Sauce:
40 g tahini
100 ml extra virgin olive oil
100 ml water
juice of 1 lemon
½ tsp sea salt

For the Crispy Cinnamon Onions:
2 onions, very thinly sliced
1 tsp ground sea salt
½ tsp ground cinnamon
groundnut oil

To Garnish:
a little fresh mint, finely chopped
a handful of pomegranate seeds

View the full recipe at The Circus Gardener’s Kitchen →