I was lucky enough to visit Sheridan’s Food Show in Virginia, Cavan, recently. They have supplied the restaurant for a long time and we love working with the team at MacNean. They have done so much for small cheese producers. People sometimes say that goat’s cheese tastes strong, but in my experience I have never tasted an Irish goat’s cheese that was too strong. You will find it much stronger in France. Serve this salad on a large platter for everyone to share, with some nice chewy multigrain sourdough bread. Barley is unusual in a risotto, but I like the texture. I made this recently for my next book. It will be called Neven’s Perfect Irish Christmas and I apologise for mentioning Christmas in June. I expect it will be out in October and it is great to work with the super professional team at Gill & Macmillan again.

Squash, kale & goat’s cheese

salad with lentils

Serves four to six

1 small pumpkin or butternut squash (about 1kg (2 ¼lb)

5 tbsp rapeseed oil

¼ tsp ground cumin

225g (8oz) Puy lentils

200g (8oz) kale, tough stalks removed and shredded

2 shallots, finely chopped

1 tbsp red wine vinegar

Large pinch of caster sugar

1 garlic clove, crushed

175g (6oz) goat’s cheese log, cut into small cubes

20g (1oz) fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, roughly chopped

4 tbsp snipped fresh chives

Sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper

1 Preheat the oven to 200°C, (400°F/gas mark six). Peel the pumpkin or butternut squash and remove the seeds, then cut the flesh into bite-sized pieces. Toss in a tablespoon of oil and the cumin. Season to taste and roast for 40-50 minutes, until softened and caramelised, tossing them once or twice to ensure they cook evenly.

2 Rinse the lentils in a sieve under cold running water, then place in a pan with 600ml of water. Add a pinch of salt and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes, until al dente (tender, but still with a little bite), adding the kale for the last 5 minutes. Drain and rinse well under cold running water.

3 Meanwhile, heat one tablespoon of oil in a pan and sauté the shallots for 4-5 minutes, until softened but not coloured. Tip into a bowl and stir in the cooked lentils with the remaining 3 tablespoons of oil, the red wine vinegar, sugar and garlic.

4 When the lentils have cooled to room temperature, gently fold in the goat’s cheese with the parsley and chives, then season to taste. Finally, fold in the roasted pumpkin, or butternut squash, and heap on to a platter to serve. Have a separate basket of multigrain sourdough bread to hand around separately.

Barley risotto with creamed carrots & butternut squash

Serves eight to 10

4 carrots, peeled and diced

1 small butternut squash, peeled, seeded and diced

200ml (7fl oz) milk

50g (2oz) butter, plus a knob

1 tbsp rapeseed oil

1 onion, finely chopped

1 celery stick, finely chopped

500g (1lb 2oz) barley

120ml (4fl oz) dry white wine

1.2 litres (2 pints) vegetable stock

100g (4oz) freshly-grated Parmesan cheese

100g (4oz) cooked chestnuts, roughly chopped (optional)

25g (1oz) toasted raw pistachio nuts, roughly chopped

1 tbsp very finely snipped chives

Sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper

1 Place the carrots in a pan with half of the butternut squash and add the milk with a knob of butter. Put on a low heat, season, then cover with a lid and simmer for 30 minutes, until tender. Using a hand-held blender, blitz to a purée.

2 Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 200°C, (400°F/gas mark six). Toss the rest of the butternut squash with the rapeseed oil and season. Roast for 25-30 minutes until tender, tossing occasionally to ensure they cook evenly.

3 Melt the remaining butter in a sauté pan over a low to medium heat, and sauté the onion and celery for about 10 minutes, until well softened but not coloured.

4 Increase the heat to high, stir the barley and cook for two to three minutes, until it is giving off a nutty aroma, remember to keep stirring. Add the wine and let it bubble down, still stirring.

5 Reduce the heat to low, then add the stock, cover with a lid and leave to cook for 30-40 minutes until tender, stirring once or twice to ensure it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan. Fold in the carrot and squash purée and season to taste, then fold in the roasted squash with the Parmesan and chestnuts, if using. Spoon into a warmed dish and scatter over the pistachios and chives to serve. CL