Mothership Squash and Beef Carpaccio

This was a successful recipe from Jamie magazine, in which we replaced the squash by pumpkin, works equally well here.





Serves 2 as a dinner or 4 as a starter

1 buternut squash, deseeded, cut into 8 lengthwise (or equal amount of pumpkin)
1 level teasp ground coriander seeds
1 level teasp ground fennel seeds
1/2 teasp chilli powder
1 teasp oregano
a pinch of ground cinnamon
a few pinches of sea salt (fleur de sel OK)
freshly ground pepper
3–4 teasp extra virgin olive oil

300g beef filet
1 teasp mustard seeds, bashed up
extra virgin olive oil
mixed interesting leaves such as rocket, radicchio, watercress, dandelion...
balsamic vinegar
lemon juice
salt, pepper
shaved parmesan cheese



Prepare the pumpkin: preheat the oven to 200deg, slice the pumpkin evenly and remove the skin. Mix the ground coriander, ground fennel, chilli, oregano, cinnamon, salt, pepper, olive oil. Rub this all over the pumpkin segment and place them on a roasting tray with greaseproof paper. Get another sheet of paper, rub one side with olive oil and put it, oiled-side down, on top of the squash. Bake in the hot oven for 25 min. (take the beef out of the fridge).
Get rid of the paper and turn the temperature to 170deg, cook for another 25-30 min, or until the pumpkin is soft and roasted.

10min before the end of the cooking time, prepare the meat. Pat it dry with kitchen paper, then rub it all over with a little olive oil. Season a board with sea salt, freshly ground black pepper and the mustard seeds. Roll the fillet in this.
Preheat a thick-bottomed pan, add a little olive oil, get the pan very hot, then sear the fillet for about 1.5-2min on each side. This gives the outside some texture while the inside will be blue. Remove from the pan and let it rest for a couple of minutes.
With a sharp knife, slice the fillet as thin as you can.
Divide the leaves between the serving plates. Dress them up with a mix of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper, and a touch of lemon juice. Add the slices of meat, the pumpkin from the oven, and grate over some parmesan to finish.


Another tested alternative, very good:
Marinate the meat for 1 hour in 2 tablesp olive oil, 2 tablesp balsamic vinegar, 1 clove crushed garlic, 1 teaspoon chilli flakes.
Prepare the salad bed with:
- salad mix, rocket, watercress.
- 1 avocado, cubed and mixed with 1-2 tablesp lemon juice, fleur de sel
- steamed asparagus

Remove the meat from the marinade and grill it in a frying pan for 2 min on each side, let it rest.
Meanwhile ,heat up the rest of the marinade with a good pinch of sugar in a sauce pan for a minute. Pour this dressing over the prepared salad.
Slice the meat very thinly and lay it over the salad.
Top with shaved parmesan cheese. Serve with roast potatoes.