Spelt salad with squash and fennel

Serves 4
butternut squash 1 smallish (about 600g)
olive oil 4-5 tbsp
fennel bulbs 2-3, trimmed (any feathery fronds chopped and reserved)
garlic 1 clove, finely chopped
walnuts 50g
pearled spelt (or pearl barley) 200g, rinsed
lemon juice of ½
parmesan, hard goat's cheese or other well-flavoured hard cheese 20g, grated, plus extra to serve
parsley a small handful, roughly chopped
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 190C/gas mark 5. Peel, halve and deseed the squash, then cut into 1.5cm chunks and scatter in a large roasting tin. Trickle over 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and season well with salt and pepper. Toss so that the squash is well coated and put into the oven to roast. Meanwhile, cut the fennel lengthways into 6 or 8 wedges.

After 15 minutes, add the fennel and garlic to the roasting tin and turn with the squash and another tablespoon of olive oil. Roast for 20 minutes or so, until the vegetables are soft and starting to caramelise around the edges. Then scatter over the walnuts and cook for 8-10 minutes. By the end, the veg should be tender and caramelised, and the walnuts lightly toasted and fragrant. If you want to serve this as a cold salad, let the veg cool completely; if you're serving it warm, the veg can go into the spelt straight from the oven. While the veg are roasting, cook the spelt (or barley) in plenty of well-salted boiling water until tender, but still with just a bit of nutty bite; spelt should take 20 minutes (allow a bit longer for barley).

Drain well and leave to cool a little (or completely for a cold salad). Toss with the roasted veg, walnuts and any oil from the roasting tin, the rest of the olive oil, the lemon juice, cheese, parsley and any fennel fronds. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Shave over some more cheese and serve warm or cold.

Vegeree

I love a good kedgeree and it is possible to create a similarly satisfying dish without fish. Roasted aubergines are the key.

Serves 4
onions 3 medium
aubergine 1 large (about 350g)
courgettes 2 medium (about 250g), halved lengthways if large
sunflower oil 3 tbsp
curry powder a good one, 1 tbsp
basmati rice 300g
eggs 4 large, at room temperature
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 190C/gas mark 5. Slice onions from root to tip into eighths, keeping them together at the root end. Quarter the aubergine lengthways, then cut each quarter into 1cm thick slices. Cut courgettes into 1cm thick slices. Toss all the veg in a large roasting tray. Pour over oil, sprinkle with curry powder and add salt and pepper. Toss together again. Roast for 40 minutes, stirring 2 or 3 times.

Rinse rice, then put into a saucepan, add salt and pour on enough water to cover by 2cm. Bring to the boil, stir once, then simmer until water is nearly all absorbed (there should be deep steam holes in the surface). Cover pan with a damp tea towel and a tight-fitting lid and turn heat as low as possible. Cook for 10 minutes. Turn off heat and leave for 5 minutes. Remove lid and use a fork to separate the rice.

Boil eggs for 7 minutes. Run under cold water, leave until cool. Shell, peel and halve the eggs. Toss the rice with the vegetables. Taste and add salt and pepper if you think it is needed. Serve topped with the halved boiled eggs and a grinding of black pepper.

Taken from River Cottage Veg Every Day! by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, RRP £25. To order a copy for £16 with free UK p&p, go to guardian.co.uk/bookshop or call 0330 333 6846