Recipe: Stephen Peak’s Roasted Delicata Squash
As Head Chef at southern Tasmania’s The Agrarian Kitchen, Stephen Peak cultivates a passion for provenance through an ever-changing menu that sources 90% of its produce from the enterprise’s own one-acre kitchen garden. Here, he shares his recipe for roasted delicata squash with preserved lemon, hemp seed and herbs.
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Stephen Peak (image: Anna Critchley)
“Delicata squash is something of a special vegetable in Tasmania. To me, it is a bit of a symbol of small-scale farming - when I see it, I think of all of the amazing growers that we have here. This is a recipe that we did for the Dark Mofo festival in 2023. Our menu was a collaboration with Ana Ros from Slovenia’s Hisa Franco, and it was a very memorable time.”
The Agrarian Kitchen x Ana Ros, Dark Mofo 2023 (image: Anna Critchley)
INGREDIENTS
2 delicata squash, halved lengthways, seeds removed
Salt, to season
25g fermented lemon skins (or preserved lemon or yuzu kosho)
50ml vegetable oil, plus extra for brushing
30ml olive oil
5g Dijon mustard
15ml apple cider vinegar
10g dill, chopped
10g fennel, chopped
10g parsley, chopped
50g hemp seeds, toasted
10g dill seeds, toasted
(image: Anna Critchley)
METHOD
Preheat oven to 160°C and prepare a hibachi or barbecue for grilling.
Brush cut-side of squash halves with vegetable oil, and season with salt. Place face-down in a baking pan, and roast in oven for 15-20 minutes, or until soft enough to be pierced with a skewer. Grill softened squash on hibachi or barbecue until lightly charred.
Meanwhile, make the lemon dressing. Add lemon, vegetable and olive oils, mustard, vinegar, dill, fennel, parsley and a pinch of salt to a bowl, and whisk until combined.
Place grilled squash on serving plate. Cover with lemon dressing, and garnish with toasted seeds.
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