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Ottolenghi’s spiced squash

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In my continuing quest for interesting vegetarian cookery I made this thing last night.

It was really good, I recommend it. If you were doing a vegetarian-only spread, this would work well alongside some kind of fresh and zingy slaw or cucumber and chilli salad as the squash is quite rich and sticky.

Very good in large quantities for any big crowd you’ve got coming. The whole thing can be done in advance and then assembled at the last minute. Best of all, you don’t have to peel the bastard squash, which is always a low point for me in any week.

From Plenty More by Yotam Ottolenghi

1 butternut squash

1 tsp ground cinnamon

olive oil

bunch coriander

1 small garlic clove

large handful pumpkin seeds

3 tablespoons yoghurt

some sriracha

salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 200C

1 Cut the squash in half lengthways and chuck out the seeds. Then cut into 2cm-wide slices. Leave the skin on!!!!

2 Toss the squash in a bowl with some glugs of olive oil and the ground cinnamon and a good grind of pepper, then lay out on a baking sheet and put in the oven for about 35 min. This is now ready – you can leave it to cool in whatever bowl you are going to ultimately present this in.

3 Turn the oven down to 160C and put a tray of pumpkin seeds in for 6 minutes until they are cracked and popped and puffy. These are delicious and worth doing, just in case you were thinking about not bothering.

4 Put the coriander, more olive oil, a big pinch of salt and the small garlic clove into a food processor and whizz until you’ve got a fragrant herby oil.

5 Swirl together the sriracha and yoghurt

Assemble by dropping blobs of the yoghurt over the squash, then the herb oil and then scatter the pumpkin seeds on last.

I also made a cucumber and broccoli salad thing from Anna Jones, but it was less successful so let’s just pretend I didn’t.

 

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Comments

  1. Rosy says

    April 13, 2017 at 9:29 am

    There is a (vaguely) similar recipe in Persiana which I would hugely recommend… roasted squash (no peeling) with a kind of herby pistachio-ey pesto, feta and pomegranate seeds. Really delicious, really easy and good for a crowd.

    Reply
  2. Victoria says

    April 13, 2017 at 9:33 am

    Loving the recipes on the blog, Esther x

    Reply
  3. Nichola says

    April 13, 2017 at 9:49 am

    I was going to rec that too Rosy. Lots of the veg recipes in Persiana and Scirocco are really simple and delicious.

    Reply
  4. tania says

    April 13, 2017 at 9:50 am

    I am imagining this would be ok if I substituted another herb (say basil) for the bastard coriander? Any other suggestions people?

    Reply
    • esthermcoren says

      April 13, 2017 at 2:57 pm

      yes I reckon so. or blitz basil, parsley and mint together. that’s always delicious.

      Reply
  5. Karen Nicholson says

    April 13, 2017 at 12:25 pm

    Love love love Plenty. Can also highly recommend Hugh Fearnley Whittenstall’s Veg Every Day and Jane Grigson’s Vegetable Book as outstanding sources of terrific ideas, with the latter so delightful that it was even chosen on R4’s A Good Read.

    Reply
  6. Madeleine says

    April 13, 2017 at 9:23 pm

    You’ve been hoodwinked, Esther. There’s no way that’a an Ottolenghi recipe: the ingredient list is far too short and they are all easily procured. (I *love* his food but refuse to cook it because because it’s all so bloody faff-y.)

    Reply
    • esthermcoren says

      April 18, 2017 at 4:04 pm

      ha ha! no no seriously.. I mostly picked this because it’s straightforward xx

      Reply
  7. Rosalind says

    April 14, 2017 at 8:11 pm

    I am a fan of Ottolenghi too and have several favourites from the Plenty More book.
    Aubergine Cheesecake – I use Wensleydale instead of Feta and I miss out the Za’atar (at least I will continue to do until I find the tin I bought some months ago).
    Baked Orzo with Mozzarella and Oregano is a winner and also
    Tagliatelle with Walnuts and Lemon.
    These aren’t too faf-fy if you like cooking but for everyday straight forward veg meals I think there are some good things in Sam Stern’s Eat Vegetarian.

    Reply
  8. Linda says

    April 16, 2017 at 3:29 pm

    I get the veggie Hello Fresh box every week and have done for about 6 months. They have gone a bit off the boil of late but this is the best thing I have made from it

    https://ddw4dkk7s1lkt.cloudfront.net/card/coconut-dal-with-roasted-buttern-5889a7f514d0f148522c7eb1-ed31247b.pdf

    Well worth it even if you hate prepping squash (I do too, in fact I gace myself a ganglion cyst doing so!)
    Let me know what you think it lf you like it as I can point you in the direction of more of my faves x

    Reply
    • esthermcoren says

      April 18, 2017 at 4:05 pm

      omg! giles has got a ganglion cyst!

      Reply
  9. TR says

    April 21, 2017 at 12:08 am

    I made this tonight – it was excellent, thanks for the tip. And I also roasted the butternut squash’s seeds with oil and salt. So good. Mmmm…

    Reply

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