Roast Squash Salad with Sweet and Sour Onions

ROAST SQUASH SALAD WITH SWEET AND SOUR ONIONS

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Servings 4 4 as a main, 6 as a starter

Ingredients
  

  • 1.2 kg butternut squash peeled deseeded or pumpkin, 850g peeled weight
  • 100 g green or puy lentils
  • 3 cloves of garlic
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 7 tbsp extra virgin olive oil + dash for cooking the lentils 50g pine nuts
  • 1 large red onion quartered and sliced
  • 1 small cinnamon stick
  • 2 teaspoons coriander seeds. crushed
  • 100 ml balsamic or red wine vinegar
  • 75 ml red wine
  • 8 large handfuls of rocket
  • 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil + extra for drizzling
  • 2 tablespoons coarsely chopped flat leaf parsley

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to gas 4, 180C, 350F.
  • Peel the squash, scoop out the seeds and cut into cubes. Place on a lined baking tray and drizzle over 4 tablespoons olive oil. Season with salt and pepper, mix with your hands and roast in the oven for about 20 -30 mins until soft. Check after 15 mins and reduce the temperature if it starts to brown.
  • Put the lentils in a saucepan and cover generously with water. Add a clove of garlic and a dash of olive oil. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 20 -30 mins, until just soft. Drain well and set aside to use.
  • While the pumpkin and lentils are cooking, chop the onion into quarters and finely slice. Slice the remaining 2 cloves of garlic. Add 3 tablespoons of olive oil to a saucepan and add the pine nuts. Gently cook until they just start to go golden brown, then add the onion and garlic and cook for a further 15 mins until soft, stirring occasionally.
  • When the onion is cooked add the whole cinnamon and the coriander seeds, which can be crushed in a pestle and mortar or by the end of a rolling pin. Add the vinegar and wine, bring to a gentle simmer and cook gently for about 10-15 mins, until the spices have been infused and the vinegar and wine reduced by half. Set aside and remove the cinnamon stick just before serving.
  • To assemble the salad, place the rocket and lentils in a bowl and drizzle over about 4 tablespoons good quality olive oil. Season the salad with salt and pepper. Mix well and place on a large serving plate. Scatter over the pumpkin and then finally drizzle over the pine nuts and onion mixture.

Notes

This is a lovely simple salad for the autumn. You can omit the salad and just serve as a vegetable side dish with simple roast meat.
Serve with toast smeared with goats cheese or feta, a sprinkling of parsley and a drizzle of olive oil on top to make it a full vegetarian main course. Feta adds a sharp salty flavour. Goats cheese is probably the more subtle of all three. So use which ever you think works best for you.
Copyright Sophie Braimbridge