Recipe for Squash, goats cheese and chickpea salad with orange, ginger and black pepper dressing
For a vegan version of this salad just leave out the goats cheese and add more hazelnuts. Make sure that you taste the dressing just in case you get a particularly bitter orange (easily rectified with a bit of honey)
Serves about 4
1 medium butternut squash, peeled and cubed
A big armful of washed baby leaf spinach
2 red onions, thinly sliced
2 cans of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 Tablespoons hazelnuts
100g soft goats cheese
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
For the dressing
Zest and juice of one orange
A thumb-size piece of fresh ginger
Freshly ground black pepper
To make the dressing, grate the ginger straight into a large bowl so that you catch all of the juices. Add to this the zest and juice of the orange and copious amounts of black pepper. Stir the chickpeas into the dressing and leave to marinade for a couple of hours if you have time.
Prepare the squash into peeled cubes and toss it in a little olive oil, black pepper and a tiny pinch of salt.
Cook the red onions in a small frying pan on a very low heat for about 30 minutes so that they gently caramelise.
All of the above stages can be done in advance (the onion will need reheating briefly).
Just before you are ready to eat, roast the cubes of squash on a baking tray in a medium oven for about 35 minutes, turning once.
Place a good couple of handfuls of spinach in each bowl. Dish out the cubes of squash evenly. Spoon out the chickpeas then pour any leftover dressing across the bowls. Give it all a toss together. Top with the hazelnuts, goats cheese and hot caramelised onions.
Serves about 4
1 medium butternut squash, peeled and cubed
A big armful of washed baby leaf spinach
2 red onions, thinly sliced
2 cans of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 Tablespoons hazelnuts
100g soft goats cheese
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
For the dressing
Zest and juice of one orange
A thumb-size piece of fresh ginger
Freshly ground black pepper
To make the dressing, grate the ginger straight into a large bowl so that you catch all of the juices. Add to this the zest and juice of the orange and copious amounts of black pepper. Stir the chickpeas into the dressing and leave to marinade for a couple of hours if you have time.
Prepare the squash into peeled cubes and toss it in a little olive oil, black pepper and a tiny pinch of salt.
Cook the red onions in a small frying pan on a very low heat for about 30 minutes so that they gently caramelise.
All of the above stages can be done in advance (the onion will need reheating briefly).
Just before you are ready to eat, roast the cubes of squash on a baking tray in a medium oven for about 35 minutes, turning once.
Place a good couple of handfuls of spinach in each bowl. Dish out the cubes of squash evenly. Spoon out the chickpeas then pour any leftover dressing across the bowls. Give it all a toss together. Top with the hazelnuts, goats cheese and hot caramelised onions.