Recipe: Marrow squash stuffed with mushrooms and bleu d'Auvergne

Serves 2 (quantities can be doubled to serve 4)

Ingredients:

-1 good sized marrow (or any other similar shaped squash)

-200g chestnut or field mushrooms, chopped finely

-100g hazelnuts, chopped (best done in food processor, I used my new mini chopper :-) )

-100g breadcrumbs

-1/2 red onion, finely chopped

-handful fresh herbs (I used parsley and basil), chopped

-1 tsp dried oregano

-75g bleu d'Auvergne (or other blue cheese)

-1tbsp olive oil

-knob of butter

-salt, pepper

1. Preheat oven to 200°C.

2. Melt the butter in a large frying pan and fry the red onion and mushrooms for 5 mins or until softened. Add the nuts, herbs, breadcrumbs and seasoning. Mix well and put to one side.

3. Cut two 3-4 inch slices from the marrow and remove the seeds (keeping the skin on). Place in a saucepan and cover with boiling water, simmer gently until slightly softened (5-10 mins). Remove and put on a baking tray.

4. Spoon the mushroom mixture into the hollow centres, pressing down as you go. Drizzle with the olive oil and bake in the oven for 30 -40 mins. Towards the end of the cooking, top each one with half of the blue cheese and return to the oven until melted.

This dish is lovely served with some green beans and Dauphinois potatoes. I do not advise eating the skin!