Superfood list: Squash

So, here's a recipe I found that showcases butternut squash in a slightly different way. It's shepherds pie using turkey as a base and the squash on top, making the whole thing a good deal lighter than the traditional version.

So, why is squash thought of as a superfood?

Squash

• Are they a Superfood? - They're rich is a bunch of vitamins, minerals like: Folic acid; magnesium; vitamin A, fibre and potassium. Oh, they also seem to have omega 3's*.
• What's the hype? - Cancer and heart disease prevention. Protects against muscular degeneration and even against inflammation.
• What's actually proven? - Not really any of the above are proven.
• Is it worth going out of your way to eat it? - Of course! It's amazing! I eat squash all the time. They're packed with nutrients, low in fat, delicious, comforting, sweet and you can spice it up with some lovely different flavours. It's great in salads, with roasts and mashed.

*Omega 3's..... What are they? 

Much like the constantly reference 'anti oxidants' I see omega 3's (or essential fatty acids) mentioned all the time. But what are they and what do they actually do for you? The answer is that they're polyunsaturated fats that can't be synthesized in the body. They seem to be important for everyday metabolism and also linked to brain function. Many other claims such as cancer prevention and helping with cognitive ageing seem to be inconclusive.

So, anyway...  here is my turkey and squash shepherds pie. It's a Nigel Slater recipe. People tend to bang on about Nigel Slater because his recipes are simple but tasty. I do find that when I actually cook them they always seem pretty nice, but the simplicity never appeals to be me on paper. I always pimp them a bit!

For this I used turkey breast mince. I think it would have been more flavoursome if I'd used one that was more thigh meat. The only other thing I changed actually worth mentioning was that instead of flavouring the mash with orange zest I actually added a little lemon zest and ground mace. I did this because I find orange zest in savoury food a bit over powering. I was a bit unsure at first when I tried the mash on it's own but when the dish came together it added a nice complexity which balanced the savoury of the meat mixture and the sweetness of the butternut squash.

Squash and Turkey Shepherds Pie

Serves 2

250g Turkey mince
1/2 While onion
1 clove garlic
7 chestnut mushrooms
200ml Red wine
Dash of Worchester sauce
2 tsp Plain flour
1/2 tsp dried thyme
Salt and pepper
1/2 Large butternut squash
2 tsp Butter
A sprinkle of orange zest (or a pinch of mace and lemon zest)

Preheat the oven at 200C/400F/Gas 6. Peel, seed and roughly chop the butternut squash. Put the pieces of squash in a steamer basket and place over boiling water. Steam for 20-30 minutes until fully tender. They must be soft enough to mash.

Peel and roughly chop the onion. Peel and finely slice the garlic. Warm a little olive oil in a large pan, then add the onion and garlic and cook until pale gold. Cut the mushrooms into thick slices or quarters and add to the pan with the thyme. Fry until softened, then transfer to a mixing bowl.

Add a little more oil to the pan, then, as soon as it starts to sizzle, add the minced turkey. Season generously with salt and pepper and then stir in the flour. Cook for 2-3 minutes, then pour in the red wine and a few shakes of Worcestershire sauce. Simmer at a low temperature for 5 minutes then add the mushrooms and onions. Continue cooking for 5 minutes then tip into a baking dish.
Mash the cooked squash with a potato masher then stir in a generous knob of butter and the grated orange zest (or nutmeg and lemon zest) to taste. Season with salt and pepper.

Pile the mash on top of the turkey, dot with more of the butter, then bake for 35-45 minutes, or until the mash is lightly browned and slightly crisp on top.

Superfood list: Turkey and Red Peppers

So, here I go on my Superfood challenge. Are they worth it? Are they a total waste of time? What's the deal?!

To avoid boredom and save time I've decided to work a few together. This week is the turn of red peppers and turkey. Like I said before I'm not even sure if these are actually Superfoods but they're on the list, so they're getting researched and made.

Red Peppers

• Are they a Superfood? - Doesn't seem to conclusively be one no, but it's definitely not bad for you.
• What's the hype? - The main brag with peppers is that they have anti oxidants (as with many Superfoods), also that they are really high in vitamin C (more in one pepper than one orange).
• What's actually proven? - Well, there's no denying either of these things. However, the main doubt around anti oxidants seems to be whether they really do anything for you. This will take more research. Which I can't be bothered with today ;-)
• Is it worth going out of your way to eat it? - Probably not no. There are plenty of other ways to get these particular benefits. However, there's absolutely no way they're going to do you any harm, quite the opposite in fact.

Turkey

• Are they a Superfood? - Seem to be a few more benefits than peppers, but still don't appear on every list I've found.

• What's the hype? - This one doesn't fly the anti oxidant flag but does seem to boast a good deal of other benefits, including: Great source of lean protein, 8 amino acids, minerals including phosphorus, potassium, iron, magnesium and zinc, lots of B vitamins. I've also seen claims that it can reduce the risk of cancer.

• What's actually proven? - The cancer thing is probably bollocks.
  
• Is it worth going out of your way to eat it? - It does seem be a pretty good all-rounder in the 'low fat and full of other good stuff' camp. I've always been a bit 'meh' when it came to turkey but after this I might try and work it in a bit more.

This week's recipe is one I've done before. It's from Ottolenghi's first book. I was given this for a present a few years back, and after ripping the piss out of the 'lifestyle' photos and actually started to cook from it, I have to say it's one of the best books I have. Nothing in there is too complicated but are just packed with flavour and innovation.

I think this recipe was actually the first one I cooked from the book and it just great. It's pretty healthy if you forego some of the oil too. I love the spicy pepper sauce which seems to go miles and I always enjoy having leftovers of. It goes nicely with rice or with cold meats or cheese.

The meatballs are great too. I love how the recipe stipulate vast amounts of salt, pepper and cumin. Not just left to chance or taste as in my opinion most people are far to conservative with such things. The toasting of the sweetcorn is also a great touch as you really do get a subtle smoky flavour from it.

I normally look for modifications to recipes, but I have to say when it comes to Ottolenghi, I just don't find the need. The one thing I did do here was try and reduce the amount of oil. To this end I cut the oil in the sauce to 1 tablespoon and it was totally fine. I also shallow friend the meatballs which worked well.

Turkey Meatballs with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

100g sweetcorn kernels (fresh or frozen)

3 slices of stale white bread, crusts removed

500g minced free-range or organic turkey breast

1 free-range egg

4 spring onions, finely chopped

2 tbsp finely chopped parsley

2 ½ tsp ground cumin

1 ½ tsp salt

½ tsp black pepper

1 garlic clove, crushed

Sunflower oil, for frying

Roasted pepper sauce

4 red peppers

3 tbsp olive oil 

1 tsp salt

25g coriander, leaves and stalks

1 garlic clove, peeled

1 small mild chilli, deseeded

2 tbsp sweet chilli sauce

2 tbsp cider vinegar or white wine vinegar

Quarter and de-seed peppers, then grill skin side up on high until the skins are blacken. Pop them in a bowl covered in cling film and allow to cool. You can remove the skins if you want to but it's not necessary . Blitz with rest of sauce ingredients.

Dry fry corn for 2-3 mins until lightly blackened and the set aside to cool.

Soak bread in water, squeeze and crumble in bowl, add everything else except oil, making golf ball size balls of mix. Fry in oil til brown then bake in a hot oven for about 15 minutes to cook through.