Recipes One

Pictured below are the inelegant remains of an inelegant meal. Im calling it a hash because Im not sure what else to call it. I guess thats what it is. I had not intended to post about it but Mr. Ferdzy was so surprisingly enthusiastic about it that I decided I would. I had expected lack of enthusiasm because it contains, in substantial quantities, two things that he will eat but really doesnt love: winter squash and barley. Apparently, add enough lamb and he can enjoy them both, which is funny because I am usually much more of a carnivore than he is.

This was the last squash in our cellar and likewise it will be pretty hard to find Ontario squash by now, unless you stashed some away earlier. If you have access to a good farmers market you might find some.

4 servings
1 hour pretty much all prep time and not including cooking the barley


4 cups cooked barley (1 cup raw)

900 grams (2 pounds) buttercup or butternut squash
2 tablespoons mild vegetable oil

2 medium onions
2 cloves of garlic
1 tablespoons mild vegetable oil
500 grams (1 pound) lean ground lamb (or beef)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon rubbed savory
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup dried tomatoes
4 cups beef or chicken stock

Put 1 cup raw barley into the rice cooker with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 3 cups of water. Cook until done. This needs to be done in advance. Mine was done so far in advance that it had spent several months in the freezer, but this is not required. It is sufficient that it be cooked at about the time you continue with the rest of the meal.

Peel, deseed and slice the squash into bite-sized chunks. Toss them with the oil. Roast them at 400° for about 40 minutes, until fairly soft.

Meanwhile, peel and chop the onions, and peel and mince the garlic.

Heat the oil in a large - very large - skillet and sauté the onion until soft and slightly browned. Add the ground lamb, broken into clumps, and continue cooking until it is mostly browned. Season with the salt, savory and Worcestershire sauce. Add the dried tomatoes and the stock. With wet hands, crumble in the cooked barley so that it doesnt stick together in lumps.

Reduce the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes or so, until the broth is mostly absorbed. Stir regularly. At this point mix in the squash, which should be cooked by now.

Um, thats pretty much it. Serve it up. What can I say; it was a mess. (A tasty, tasty mess.)




Last year at this time I made Butternut Squash Curry, funnily enough.

Posted in: barley, hash, lamb, squash | | |