One of my favourite Greek appetizers is a dish called Bouyiourdi. It’s a baked mish-mash of tomatoes, peppers, Feta, Kasseri cheeses, oregano, some chilli flakes and baked in the oven until hot and gooey. It screams for bread to scoop out this molten goodness. I call it a Greek fondue!

Last year I served this autumn Bouyiourdi with a twist, using roasted butternut squash as a base. There’s still lots of cheese to scoop up with warm, comforting squash.

Butternut Squash Bouyiourdi

(serves 4-6)

1 butternut squash (about 1lb), roasted* (see note below)

extra-virgin olive oil

2 cloves of garlic, minced

3 scallions, thinly sliced

1 cup crumbled Feta cheese

1/4 cup strained Greek yogurt

2 Tbsp. dry white wine

sea salt and fresh ground pepper

1 cup grated Graviera (or Gruyere) cheese

sprinkle of fresh or dried thyme

1/3 cup pumpkin seeds (or pistachios)

1/3 cup pomegranate seeds

1. You will need three or four baking vessels, about the size of soup bowls or just use one large casserole dish. Pre-heat your oven to 400F.
2. Scoop out the flesh of the cooked squash and roughly chop and place in a bowl.
3. Add olive oil, garlic, scallions, Feta, yogurt, wine and mix with a spatula. Taste, add salt if needed and ground pepper.
4. Place in ramekins or one large casserole dish.
5. Top with grated Graviera, sprinkle some thyme and cover with foil. Bake in your pre-heated oven for 20 minutes or until cheese is melted.
6. Remove from the oven, top with pumpkin and pomegranate seeds, serve with a spoon and crusty bread.

*Roasting butternut squash: Pre-heat your oven to 450F, cut in half lengthwise, remove seeds. Brush flesh with olive oil, season with salt, pepper, ground fennel, a bit of cinnamon. Bake (flesh side up) for 45 minutes or until fork-tender. Scoop out flesh when cool enough to handle.