Squash Chestnut Crackers Recipes

SQUASH & CHESTNUT CRACKERS

Steps:

• Heat the oil and butter in a frying pan. Fry the onion and squash for 15 mins until the onion is golden and caramelised, and the squash is tender. Add the mushrooms and cook for another 8-10 mins until the water given off has evaporated. Pour in the marsala and bubble for 2-3 mins until it disappears. Stir in the chestnuts, sage, prunes, relish and breadcrumbs, and season well. Leave to cool.
• Unravel one of the pastry sheets onto a lightly floured surface and cut a 2cm-wide strip from one of the long sides of the pastry. Reserve this to decorate. Cut the remaining pastry into four long rectangles - these will be your cracker bases. Cut the remaining pastry sheet into four and chill all the pastry on a lined baking sheet for 15 mins.
• Stir the cheese into the cooled filling, then divide the mixture into four portions. Mould into sausages and position on the pastry bases, leaving lots of room for what will be the scrunched ends of the crackers.
• Brush the exposed pastry around the filling with the beaten egg and drape over the larger pastry tops, sealing the pastry all around the filling. Trim, if you need to, and pinch in the ends to create the Christmas cracker shape. Press the ends with a fork, trimming again, if you need to, then glaze with more of the beaten egg. Chill for 30 mins or up to 24 hrs. Use the reserved pastry to create stars or Christmas trees, or whatever you fancy to decorate the crackers.
• Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Glaze with more beaten egg and bake for 35-40 mins until golden and puffed. Serve with veggie gravy and plenty of trimmings.

ROASTED ACORN SQUASH AND CHESTNUTS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450°F.
• Halve squash lengthwise and discard seeds and strings. Cut each half lengthwise into 3 wedges and arrange wedges, skin sides down, in a shallow baking pan. In a small saucepan melt butter with brown sugar over moderate heat, stirring occasionally until sugar is dissolved. Stir in nutmeg and cloves and remove pan from heat. Spoon butter mixture over squash and cover baking pan with foil.
• Bake squash in middle of oven 30 minutes. Remove pan from oven and scatter chestnuts over squash. Re-cover pan with foil and roast squash and chestnuts 30 minutes, or until squash is tender. Squash and chestnuts may be made up to this point 6 hours ahead and kept, covered, at room temperature.
• Remove foil from pan and bake squash and chestnuts 20 minutes more. With a slotted spoon transfer squash and chestnuts to a serving dish. Stir sauce, scraping up brown-sugar drippings, and spoon over squash and chestnuts.