Butter bean stuffed Butternut squash

Brrrrr... It's chilly here in Glasgow and this demands cosy warm food!

I love butter beans almost as much as I love butternut squash, here is a creation of mine combining them both, resulting in autumn-tastic food.

Ingredients:

• 1 butternut squash
• 1 small onion
• 100g rice (I used basmati)
• about 1 pint of veggie stock (I used a veggie oxo cube)
• 1/2 teaspoon of harissa paste
• a few broccoli florets
• half a tin of butter beans
• black pepper
• handful of fresh coriander
• 50g soft goat's cheese (could use any soft cheese - like philadelphia if you wish)
• a little oil

Slice the butternut squash in half lengthwise, scoop out the seeds, and then brush the inside flesh with a little oil. In a large oven proof dish (I use a lasagna tray) fill with about 2cm of cold water, then lay the butternut squash halves on top, skin side up. Put in a oven at about 150 degrees Celsius for about 30mins. When it is cooked the inside flesh should be super soft.

Meanwhile, chop the onion and gently brown in a little oil in a large pan. Then add the uncooked rice, stir, add the vegetable stock and the harissa paste. Cover, after about 5mins add the broccoli florets (chopped into small pieces). Cover until the rice is cooked and the stock absorbed.

Then take the rice mixture off the heat, add the butter beans and some coriander. Take the butternut squash out of the oven (carefully please - the water surrounding it will be very hot!), transfer the squash halves on to a baking tray, flesh side up. Using a spoon scoop out some of the flesh, to create hollows, adding this flesh to the rice mixture.

Now add the goat's cheese to rice mixture and give it a good stir.
Spoon this mixture into the butternut squash hollows, and top with a little black pepper. Put this under a medium grill for about 5mins & then serve.
The sweetness of the squash, combined with the creamy taste of the butter beans & goat's cheese is just delicious!