Roast Squash with Black Garlic Manchego & Walnuts
Good cheese deserves more than a cracker now and then. Here, black garlic Manchego meets sweet roast squash, with walnuts for crunch and a little lemon to keep things lively. The cheese brings its own mellow garlic flavour, so there's no need to add more.
Serve it as a generous side dish, or make it lunch with a green salad and some bread. Very little fuss, plenty of flavour. That will do nicely!
Serves: 2 as a light lunch or 4 as a side
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 35 minutes
Ingredients
- 600g peeled and deseeded butternut squash, cut into roughly 3cm chunks
- 80g Manchego cheese with black garlic, rind removed
- 30g walnut halves, roughly broken
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
Method
- Get the squash roasting. Heat the oven to 220°C (425°F). Toss the squash with 1½ tablespoons of olive oil, the thyme, a small pinch of salt and black pepper. Spread in a single layer on a lined baking tray, leaving a little space between the pieces.
- Give it some colour. Roast for 30–35 minutes, turning once halfway through, until tender right through and browned at the edges.
- Toast the walnuts. Meanwhile, warm a dry frying pan over a medium-low heat. Add the walnuts and stir for 2–3 minutes until fragrant. Tip onto a plate so they don't keep cooking.
- Bring it together. Transfer the warm squash to a platter. Mix the lemon juice with the remaining ½ tablespoon of oil and spoon over. Use a vegetable peeler to shave the Manchego over the squash, then scatter on the walnuts. Taste before adding more salt.
Add the cheese after roasting so its flavour stays front and centre. Serve while the squash is still warm and the shavings are just beginning to soften. ¡Que aproveche!
Share
