Another beauty from Yotam Ottolenghi
“I love the autumnal combination of squash, orange and hard herbs, and this take on the theme is especially fresh. Blitzing orange zest into olive oil is a quick way to infuse it without having to heat it up or wait very long. The oil is also lovely on salads, roast veg or fruit and yoghurt, so make double if you want and keep in a sealed jar.”
Prep 15 min
Infuse 20-60 min
Cook 40 min
Serves 4 as a starter or side
1 butternut squash, peeled, cut in half lengthways, deseeded and cut into 1cm-thick half-moons (900g net weight)
2 tbsp olive oil
¼ tsp ground nutmeg
Salt and black pepper
1½ tbsp runny honey
1½ tsp cider vinegar
2 oz (40g) pecorino, cut into ¼cm-thick shards
1½ tbsp oregano leaves, picked with some stem attached
1oz (20g) pumpkin seeds, toasted
For the orange-infused oil
2 oranges
45ml olive oil
Heat the oven to its highest setting.
For the oil, finely shave strips of zest off the oranges, avoiding any pith, until you have 1/2 oz (15g), then roughly chop.
Put this in the small bowl of a food processor, add the oil and blitz for a minute, until the peel is finely chopped. Pour into a bowl, leave to infuse for 20 minutes to an hour, then strain through a fine sieve and discard the solids.
Peel and segment the oranges over a sieve placed over a bowl, to catch the juice, then set aside the segments and a tablespoon of juice for the dressing.
Put the squash, oil, nutmeg, half a teaspoon of salt and a good grind of pepper in a large bowl, and toss to coat. Divide between two oven trays lined with baking paper – make sure the squash does not overlap – then bake for 20-25 minutes, turning once halfway, until cooked through and nicely browned. Leave to cool to room temperature.
Meanwhile, put the honey in a small frying pan on a medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, leave to bubble for two to three minutes, stirring occasionally, until it turns a deep brown caramel, then take off the heat and stir in the orange segments, the reserved tablespoon of juice and the vinegar, and set aside to cool a little.
Arrange the squash and pecorino on a platter, overlapping the squash slightly, pour over the burnt honey dressing, and scatter over the oregano and pumpkin seeds. Drizzle over the infused oil, and serve.