aka Amber Fox Kitchen

Squashed Shepherd's Pie

For the squash, choose a variety that stays firm when cooked. Any combination of hubbard, acorn, marrow, kabocha, turban, small pie pumpkins and buttercup is good. Ordinary pumpkin, zucchini and crookneck are too mushy. To cook them, cut the squash in half, remove the seeds, oil the cut surfaces and bake in a slow oven (about 325 F, 160 C) until a fork goes into them easily (45 minutes or more). Cool and peel.

If you have the patience, save the seeds, clean off the gore, roast them for 15 minutes with the rest of the squash, shell them and serve as a garnish.

• 2 tbsp veg oil or butter
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 medium onion, diced
• salt to taste
• 1/2 tsp or more of black pepper
• herbs - your favourites among sage, rosemary, thyme, savoury, marjoram
• one or more hot chilis, if you like food spicy
• 1 cup chopped tomatoes, fresh or canned
• 2 cups of cooked, cubed squash
• two cups of assorted (leftover) cooked veggies, drained - peas, string beans diced, corn, carrots, parsnips, greens, etc
• 4 cups (or more) of leftover mashed potatoes

1. in the oil, fry the garlic until aromatic and beginning to brown
2. add the onions (with salt, if desired) and fry until transparent
3. add herbs and season it according to your tastes: a basic choice might be 1/2 tsp black pepper and 1/2 tsp dried thyme
4. if you like spicy food, add the fresh or dried chilis, and fry briefly; dried chili (pasillas, arborios etc) will add both heat and a rich flavour and colour
5. add in the tomato, and if it is fresh cook it until it starts to go mushy
6. add the squash and the other vegetables and heat through
7. spread the hot mixture in the bottom of a baking dish and cover with the mashed potatoes (for extra fae points: make ritual symbols in the mash)
8. bake in a slow oven until the potatoes are browing on top, half hour or forty-five minutes

Good for using up leftover veg. Very flexible .. instead of potatoes on top you can use mashed turnip, or polenta, or top it with oat flakes toasted with butter and a little salt, or with seasoned leftover mashed beans. Also good made in very large batches.