Roast Squash and Walnuts – Two ways
Serves 4
Courtesty of River Cottage
Related articles: Squashes
Related recipes: Butternut Squash Soup and Baked Squash.
Ingredients
- 1kg organic squash, such as a medium butternut or acorn squash, or ½ Crown Prince
- 1 medium organic onion, halved and sliced
- 4 garlic cloves, peeled but left whole
- 1 medium-hot red chilli, deseeded and roughly chopped#
- A large sprig of rosemary, leaves picked from the stems
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 100g walnuts
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar, plus a little extra to finish
- About 100g organic rocket
- Sea salt and black pepper
Method
- Preheat the oven to 190°C/Fan 170°C/Gas 5.
- Cut the squash in half. Scoop out the seeds from both halves, then remove the peel from just one half (the peeled bits are the ones you’ll be puréeing later). Cut all the squash into wedges, about 3cm wide at their outer edge. Put these into a large roasting dish.
- Scatter the onion over the squash, followed by the garlic, chilli and rosemary. Trickle over the olive oil, season with salt and pepper and toss everything together. Roast for 45 minutes. Scatter the walnuts over the veg and return to the oven for about 8 minutes until the walnuts are nicely coloured.
- Pick out the peeled squash pieces and put them into a large measuring jug that you can get a stick blender in to, or into a food processor. Add about half of the roasted onion, garlic, chilli, rosemary and walnuts. Add the balsamic vinegar then use a stick blender or the processor to blitz these ingredients to a thick, coarse purée. Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed.
- Dollop the squash purée onto warmed serving plates and place the roasted squash wedges on top, adding all the roasted flavourings and walnuts from the roasting tray.
- Scatter over the rocket leaves and add a sprinkling of salt and pepper and a few more drops of balsamic vinegar. Serve straight away, with a fluffy grain, such as quinoa.