Parmigiana di zucca e lenticchie - Squash and Lentil Parmigiana

Today I feel like having a vegetarian Sunday lunch: something special but without meat. I prepare a winter Parmigiana, made with squash, lentils and spinach.
I start by cooking my ingredients, separately and in a different way: I bake the squash for 20 minutes, as I want it still crunchy.
I sauté my small brown lentils with onion and carrot and then I braise them in a little tomato passata and vegetable stock for 30 to 40 minutes.
I  sauté my spinach in oil and garlic for 5 minutes.

Vellutata zucca e porri - Squash and Leek Velouté

When I moved to London 23 years ago, I discovered the butternut squash, a kind of pumpkin but less sweet and more fleshy. Unknown in Italy at that time, the squash soon became the main ingredient in my autumn and winter dishes, such as soups, risotto, pasta, meat stews and even cakes. Squash was always in my pantry.

Polpette al pomodoro – Meatballs in a Tomato Sauce

In Italy, polpette is a traditional domestic dish. They are prepared either to recycle meat leftovers or to serve inexpensive meat, which is minced, combined with stale bread and flavoured with plenty of herbs.