Squash and Pepper Stacks

This recipe was inspired by vegetarian issue of the December BBC Goodfood magazine,  combining healthy ingredients with a touch of elegance. The Vegetarian Society recipe called for camargue red rice and allspice but as I had neither of those I thought I'd make my own adaptation and I'm pretty pleased with the result. 

Ingredients
Brown rice & green lentils - cooked
1 large red onion finely chopped
5 cardamon pod - seeds removed and crushed
1/2 tsp each ground cinnamon & ground ginger
1 small star anise - crushed
3 cloves - crushed
1.5 tbsp raisins
100g feta cheese
2 tbsp parsley, finely chopped
1 large red pepper, halved and seeds removed
1/4 round pumpkin, skin removed and thinly sliced
olive oil

Method

I make large batches of brown rice and lentils so there is always plenty left over for stuffing or as a side dish. Put 1 cup of rice and 1 cup of lentils in a pan, cover with 3 cups of water, bring to the boil then simmer for about 20 minutes until all the liquid is absorbed and the rice/lentils are tender.

Heat a splash of oil in a pan or wok, add the onions and cook on a low heat for about 10 minutes until softened. Add the spices and raisins and cook for another 2 minutes. Mix together with the rice, lentils, crumbled feta and parsley then season and set aside.

Preheat the grill

Par boil the pumpkin for 2-3 minutes then drain and place on the grill rack with the pepper halves. Cook until the pumpkin is tender and the pepper skins are blackened. Pop the peppers into a bag and seal then leave for 10-15 minutes. When the pepper halves are cooled slightly, remove from the bag and peel away the skins, cut into 8 thick slices.

Assemble the stacks directly onto a plate using a wide ring (see improvisation). Press slices of the pumpkin to the bottom in an even layer. Top with the rice mixture and press down firmly, add more pumpkin on the top, pressing down to even the layer. Remove the ring before serving. If preparing ahead for later you can set aside at this point and reheat the stacks on a low oven for 10 minutes.

Pile the peppers on top and drizzle with a touch of olive oil and balsamic vinegar