food to glow

Is this a starter, side dish, light meal or a filling snack? If you are me, then it is all four. I mostly enjoy this for quickish lunch on its own, but it is perfect as a side dish, or to go with a warming bowl of something like my vegan creamy broccoli-basil soup, or this beetroot, cumin and fennel soup. You can also add a tin of rinsed white beans to make it heartier and give more protein.

Use winter squash, thinly sliced and with any edible seeds if you like, or with any summer squash that may still be growing in your garden or sold at the market. I would recommend Delicata or acorn squash as these two seem to bridge summer and winter and are firm but with thin, edible skins – less faff! The clincher though is the crispy, smoky “migas” – a Spanish coarse breadcrumb snack. It’s a bit of a “now” way to top salads and soups, but really it is just fancied-up, day-old bread. Enjoy. xx

200g (6.9 oz) well-washed rainbow chard or Swiss chard, stalk separated from leaf

100g (3.6 oz) winter squash or older summer squash (see the end for ideas of what to do with leftover squash)

1 ½ tbsp olive oil, divided use

50g (3/4 cup) coarsely chopped country bread – really anything but “pappy” white bread: ciabatta, sourdough, seeded wholegrain etc*

1 red chilli, deseeded and sliced – optional

Zest from 1 unwaxed lemon

1 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary leaves (more to taste)

50g (round 1/3 cup) almonds – Marcona are best for taste, but pricier

Small pinch of smoked paprika (about 1/8 tsp)

1 fat garlic clove (smoked garlic if possible), thinly sliced

50g (2 oz) goats curd or soft goats cheese – optional

Truffle honey or chestnut honey, to drizzle – very much optional!

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

*gluten-free bread is absolutely fine here

Method

1. Chop the chard stalks and set aside. Chop the chard leaves and set aside. These cook at different rates so that’s why I’m asking you to keep them separate. Not just to be weird. 

2. Peel the squash if needs be. I used an older summer squash with firm but edible skin. Most winter-type squashes will need a light peeling. Remove any hard seeds but keep the softer ones. Slice thinly as shown.

3. For the migas, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a sauté pan and fry the crumbs over a medium flame until just starting to colour. Add the chilli, half of the lemon zest, half of the rosemary and all of the almonds, smoked paprika and garlic slices, turning over in the pan and frying until darkened but not at all burnt. You must keep an eye on it at all times. I know from experience how quickly it can burn! Stir in the remaining zest and rosemary and take off the heat. Set aside.

4. Now heat a wok or large sauté pan with the remaining oil. Stir fry the chard stems and the squash until softened – about three minutes. Add the leaves and a couple of tablespoons of water. Cover the pan and let steam for a further five minutes, until just tender – less if the leaves are young looking.

5. Lift the steamed vegetables with a slotted spoon onto each plate. Top with dots of goats curd and scatter over the crispy, fragrant migas. Drizzle with truffle honey or chestnut honey if you like. I like.