Nothing beats cooking to warm up the mood. Today, Raphaële Marchal’s stuffed squash recipe.
It’s an understatement to say that in this time of pandemic, we appreciate scrolling through the Instagram account of journalist and food writer Raphaële Marchal (@enrangdoignons), who makes us escape with her photos of picnics and good food (cheeses, pâtés, panettones, pies and pastries… take pride of place). A few months ago, her recipe for pearl barley, feta, pomegranate and hazelnut-stuffed squash flavored with a sprig of zaatar (a mixture of sesame, thyme…used in Levantine cooking) caught our attention. A way to make stuffed vegetables without the meat but with lots of good stuff.
Needed for two people : eggplant ; pearl barley (about 120 grams) ; 100 grams of feta (more or less depending on your taste) ; half a pomegranate ; vegetable broth (about 25 cl) ; White wine ; some toasted hazelnuts ; zaatar, pepper, salt ; olive oil.
First, cut the pumpkin in half, remove the seed and roast it in the oven at 180 degrees for forty minutes. At the same time, cook the barley as for the risotto: cook the barley in a saucepan with a little olive oil until it becomes slightly translucent, then gradually add the vegetable stock and white wine to moisten. Wait until the pearl barley is well absorbed before reapplying the liquid. The process should take about the same time as roasting the pumpkin, or three quarters of an hour. When the pumpkin is cooked, if necessary, dig it out and pour barley into it. Add small cubes of feta cheese, pomegranate seeds, roasted hazelnuts, coarsely pounded in a mortar if necessary. Salt, add za’atar and chili to taste.