No tricks...just treats with Di’s delicious menu for Halloween

Sat, 25 Oct, 2025 - 07:36

This week features the night all kids wait for – the night when they can legitimately go round the neighbourhood begging for sweets – of course they have to dress up and have a party trick to get them! Halloween is the night most parents dread, for the sugar highs that follow! But it’s also a great night for dressing up, having fun and just being part of a community which comes together to celebrate this ancient festival.

There’s no doubt you always need something to warm you up before you go out, and something nice to come back to when the trick and treating is done. I’ve got both those things in this weekend’s menu. The bright golden colours of squash are seasonal this time of year, and I’m using squash to hold some spicy chilli. Adults and older kids love this warming supper.

For pudding, an old classic of seasonal apples baked with dried fruit and cake spices. A gloriously topical dessert for Halloween – an apple treat you don’t have to stick your head in a bucket of water to catch! Serve this with cream or ice cream. Word of warning though – let the apples cool a little before serving, as the sugar can get very hot.

CHILLI STUFFED BUTTERNUT SQUASH

Ingredients (Serves 4)

2 tbsp olive oil
250g best minced beef
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
100g button mushrooms, halved
200mls stock
150mls tomato passata
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
400g red kidney beans
100g frozen peas
200g cooked white rice
1 large butternut squash
2 tbsp sour cream
2 spring onions, trimmed and chopped

Method

Heat the oil in a pan and fry the mince to brown.  Transfer to a heavy bottomed saucepan.  Add onion, chilli and garlic to pan and fry until softened but not browned. Add mushrooms and cook for another couple of minutes. Transfer to saucepan with the mince.

Add stock, herbs, tomato passata and season.  Simmer gently for 25  minutes till the meat is tender.

Add the kidney beans and peas and cook for a further few minutes to heat through. Check seasoning.

While mix is cooking, halve the butternut and scoop out all the seeds. Brush cavities with a little olive oil and season.  When the  meat and veggies are ready, add cooked rice. Stir to mix evenly.  Check seasoning again.

Place squash halves in a roasting tray and spoon in the rice filling.  Cover with foil and bake in a pre-heated oven  at Gas 5 375F 190C (180C fan assisted) for 20 minutes or until squash is tender when pierced with a knife.

To finish, drizzle with sour cream and scatter over the scallions. Cut into four portions to serve.

SPICED BAKED APPLES

Ingredients (Serves 4)

4 dessert apples
50g butter
2 tbsp brown sugar
125g dried mixed fruit
Grated zest of a lemon
1 tsp ground ginger
½ tsp mixed spice
Good splash of apple juice or water

Method

Core the apples with an apple corer or use a sharp knife to cut out a cylinder from the centre of each apple. Make sure you get all the pips.

 Score the skin of each apple around its circumference. Place in a buttered ovenproof dish.

Mix the butter with the sugar, fruit, lemon zest and spices in a small pan.

Heat gently till the butter melts.

Spoon some of the fruit mix into the centre of the apples.

Scatter the remaining fruit and melted butter around and add a splash of apple juice or water to the dish.

Cover with foil and bake in a pre-heated oven Gas 5 375F 190C for 15 minutes or until the apples are tender and pulpy but not completely collapsed.

Remove from oven and cool slightly before eating, Serve with cream or ice cream.

THE WEEKEND GARGLE

After trick-or-treating on a chilly Halloween night, there’s something special about a cup of real hot chocolate to warm you up! The kids will love it, and the adults can make it extra special with a dash of brandy or whiskey added for good measure! Dunnes Stores Simply Better Irish Hot Chocolate Swirl Sticks are delicious and fun to use. Simply heat milk and pour it into a mug, then add the swirl stick and stir till it melts into the milk. Delicious. Choose from Belgian Hot Chocolate with Marshmallow or Belgian Hot Chocolate and Seville Orange. Both utterly scrumptious! Pack of 2 x 40g sticks cost €2.99.

RECEIPT

Main course

Butternut Squash X 1pce: €1.19

Minced beef x 400g: €4.00

Mushrooms x 150g: 99c

Kidney beans 400g: 70c

Frozen Peas 450g: €2.00

Rice 1kg: €1.65

Sour cream 200g: 99c

Scallions: 89c

TOTA: €12.41

Dessert