Ingredients:

1 gourd (or courgette, small pumpkin or squash) peppercorns cumin coriander seeds 3 - 4 mint leaves, shredded 1 garlic 3 tbsp vinegar 50 g dates, finely chopped 50 g blanched almonds, finely chopped 2 tbsp clear honey 60 ml Liquamen (or, in this case, vegetable stock) 4 tbsp Defritum (or Wine or Grape Juice reduced by two thirds) 20 ml olive oil (or 25g butter) Sea salt to taste

Instructions:

Cut the gourd, courgette or squash into chunks. Place these into a steamer and cook until done. Place the cooked flesh into a muslin bag or a dishcloth and squeeze out the excess water. Transfer the remaining pulp to a saucepan. Whilst the squash is cooking, put the dried spices in a pestle and mortar and grind. Next add the mint and garlic, grinding to a smooth paste. Spoon this from the mortar and add to the cooked squash. Next add the dates, almonds and all the liquid ingredients, including the honey. Finally add the oil or butter and mix with the squash. Place the resulting mixture back on the heat and simmer gently for a few minutes for the flavours to combine. Serve immediately sprinkled with salt and black pepper.