- ½ butternut squash, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, unpeeled
- olive oil
- salt and pepper
- 100ml/3½fl oz vegetable stock
- 2 jumbo quails, spatchcocked
- 2-3 tbsp thin bacon lardons
- 1 shallot, finely chopped
- 150ml/5½fl oz brown chicken stock
- 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 tsp chopped rosemary
- 4 tbsp cooked lentils
- 1 handful frisée salad leaves
- Preheat the oven to 190C/375F/Gas 5.
- Take four tablespoons of the diced butternut squash and blanch for 2-3 minutes, or until cooked but still firm.
- Put the remaining butternut squash in a roasting tin with the garlic cloves and a little olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 20 minutes, or until very soft.
- Transfer to a blender and add half the vegetable stock and two tablespoons of olive oil. Blend to a smooth purée, adding more stock if necessary. Taste and add more salt and pepper as required.
- Season the spatchcocked quails with a little salt. Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in an ovenproof pan and brown the quail on all sides. This will only take 2-3 minutes.
- Put the pan into the oven and roast for about four minutes. Remove from the oven and rest for five minutes. Check the meat is cooked through – the juices should run clear when the meat is cut into. The breast and legs might need more cooking. If so you can finish cooking them in the sauce.
- Use the same pan to fry the lardons until crisp then set them aside. Fry the shallots until softened, add the chicken stock and cook until reduced in volume to a thick sauce (add the quail breasts and legs here if they need to cook a bit more). Put the cooked bacon back into the pan and add the vinegar and cooked lentils.
- Fry the four tablespoons of blanched butternut squash in a little oil until golden-brown. Season with salt, pepper and the chopped rosemary.
- Spread some purée on each serving plate, add some pieces of butternut squash, lardons and lentils then the quail, and the salad leaves. Serve a little extra sauce on the side.