Roasted squash, sheep’s cheese and hazelnut salad

An unusual combination that makes a delicious dish and will keep the vegetarians in your life happy.

Ingredients

Serves 4 - 6

1 medium squash
2 red onions
Large handful of hazelnuts
4 big handfuls of mixed salad leaves (peppery things like rocket work really well)
150g hard sheep’s cheese
4 cloves of garlic, skin on
3-4 sage leaves
Olive oil
Salt and pepper

For the vinaigrette:

1tbsp white wine vinegar
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp Dijon mustard
Salt and pepper

Details

Achieving the perfect results

1. Preheat the oven to 220˚C.
2. Halve the squash and scoop out the seeds before cutting it into large-ish slices. You can leave the skin on. Put the squash into a large roasting tin, and drizzle over a couple of tablespoons of olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Give the garlic a bash with the flat of your knife and add that to the squash with the sage. Mix everything together so it’s all coated with the oil. Roast in the oven for about 40 minutes or until the squash is soft through and starting to brown and crisp up on the edges.
3. Meanwhile, peel the onions, leaving as much of the root intact as possible. Carefully halve them, cutting through the root, so the onion stays together, then cut each half into quarters. After the squash has been in the oven for about 20 minutes, add the onions to the squash and toss everything together.
4. While the squash and the onions are cooking, toast the hazelnuts in a dry pan, over a medium heat, until they are just turning golden brown. Tip them out onto one half of a clean tea towel, then fold the towel in half, covering the nuts, and bash them a couple of times with a rolling pin to break them up a bit.
5. To make the vinaigrette, put all of the ingredients in a jam jar, put the lid on and give it a good shake.
6. When the onions and squash are cooked, take them out of the oven and put them to one side while you assemble the salad.
7. In a bowl, dress the salad leaves with some of the vinaigrette, then transfer the leaves to a large serving plate and scatter over the hazelnuts. Arrange the squash and onions on top of the leaves, then crumble the cheese on top.

 This recipe is supplied by The Pantry and Parlour.