Roasted Butternut Squash with Rosemary, Garlic & Chilli and Spring Greens Rice

Squash is delicious roasted - I have used butternut squash here but other Autumn squashes would work just as well with onion squash being the next natural choice for me I think.

Roasting brings out the nuttiness of squash while fresh herbs, garlic and chilli set off the natural sweetness of it. Don't be tempted to peel the squash though, the skin is edible and will become deliciously caramelised and chewy.

The following is taken in the main from a side vegetable dish recipe in Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's River Cottage Every Day. Here though I have made it as a main with some basmati rice with sautéed spring greens stirred through.

Roast Squash with Rosemary, Garlic, Chilli & Pinenuts

Serves 2

½ large butternut squash, deseeded

4 large garlic cloves, skin on but slightly squished using the heel of your hand

couple sprigs of roasermary

1 red chilli, finely chopped

2 tbsps olive oil

20g pinenuts

squeeze of lemon

150g basmati rice

2 good handfuls spring greens, roughly chopped

garlic oil

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 190C.

Cut the squash half into quarters and then into wedges and throw into a roasting tin. Add the garlic, rosemary and chilli then season generously.

Trickle over the olive oil, toss it all together well then pop into the oven for between 45 mins and 1 hour, stirring halfway through.

Meanwhile, toast the pinenuts over a medium heat in a dry frying pan until golden brown (be careful not to burn them, it can happen very quickly!).

Also, cook the rice and sauté the chopped greens in a splash of garlic oil until wilted. Stir the greens through the cooked rice.

By now the squash should be soft and getting caramelised at the edges. Scatter the toasted pinenuts over with a good squeeze of lemon and toss it all together. Serve atop a mound of rice and greens.