Roast butternut squash triangles with hazelnut pesto

 

Halloween has just passed and I had great fun. Coming from Eastern Europe I never used to celebrate it, however having spent a few years in England I decided to enjoy more holidays, both local and global. Oddly enough, the reason being is the weather. Whenever I travel and come back to UK, I keep questioning how is it possible to live under this daily grey cover above our heads. So here we are in the kitchen on a Friday night, with a nice seasonal butternut squash. Let the party begin!

It is really really simple to make this and the cooking time is perfect: while the butternut squash is roasting, you have enough time to make the pesto... and a cup of tea.


1) You just cut the squash into round slices and trim the sides to make little triangles. DO NOT WASTE ANY PART OF IT! I could have sliced the whole squash, but I carved the thick part and made soup in it. Whatever 'cuts' were left, I used them to make the best squash soup, and the seeds - I roasted them too... You know what they say - when life gives you squashes... Roast for 35 min in 200 C. Just don't forget to rub them in some oil and season with salt and pepper before placing in the oven.

2) For the pesto you just need to combine the below ingredients, I used pestle and mortar, but you can use a blender if you like.

A quarter of a cup roasted hazelnuts (10 min in 180 C) ;
35g rocket salad, finely chopped;
A tablespoon of grated Parmesan;
A tablespoon of oil.

3) You can roast the seeds  for 10 mins in 200 C, with just some oil, salt, pepper and chilli. There is a debate going on whether you should eat the seeds whole or hulled, but most of my friends seemed to enjoy the crunchy insoluble fiber provided by the husks...

So there you go, a simple way to enjoy a butternut squash this (and every) autumn/winter.