On Saturday I met up with Malcolm, the African Chef . He and his lovely wife have gained a third beautiful child since I last saw him, a 3 month old baby boy. His delicious products are doing well and he’s added new and tempting things to the range, as well as the original favourites. We talked about social media, and he was really inspirational,  encouraging me to get on with my novel, thanks Malcolm, I’ll see what I can do!

Of course we talked about food and a recipe on his website that includes two of my favourite things, coconut and butternut squash, he kindly said that it’s okay to share it with you.

Ingredients: (serves 4)

1 Large Butternut (1.2KG) diced with skin on.
1/2 Small Lemon
2 Garlic Cloves
1 Inch fresh ginger
1 Tbs Organic coconut Oil (or any other oil you may have)
1 x Tin Organic coconut milk – we like Biona organic as it contains 50% organic coconut and water
Cinnamon
Dried Pumpkin leaves (optional)
Handful of watercress
Salt
Pepper
Drizzle of The African Chef – Fire Water 

I just love the squashes, they are so versatile, easy to grow, have a wonderful flavour can be made into so many healthy dishes and have a long shelf life, so can be stored for a few months before being eaten. This recipe is healthy, delicious, rich, creamy and 100% Vegan ! 

Method and Cooking time (35 – 45 mins)

Wash and slice the butternut in half lengthways and scoop out the seeds using a spoon. Chop the butternut into large cubes (approx 1 – 2 inches). Lightly grease a baking tray with coconut oil. Slice the lemon into rings, peel the garlic and leave the cloves whole. Slice the ginger and add all the ingredients to the baking tray. Season with salt and pepper and roast in the oven for around 30-40 minutes until cooked.

Next add roasted butternut to a large sauce pan on a very low heat with the coconut milk, dried pumpkin leaves and blend until smooth. If the mixture  is a little thick add a little warm water until you get a lovely smooth texture, finally add the watercress and blend again and serve.
Garnish with a little watercress and drizzle with firewater. Copyright Malcolm Riley, The African Chef.

If you visit Malcolm here, he shares some really interesting information about the properties of butternut squash and coconut oil, as well as some more recipes,  like the best way to use leftover turkey, very timely. You can also visit the online shop, a treasure trove of unusual  flavours, check out the alcoholic chillies! From the website, I was delighted to learn the name of a mystery fruit, that I tried in Nigeria many years ago, safou.