Butternut squash and onions

Roasted butternut squash with red onions and tahini.

Inspired by Yottam Ottolenghi and the Guardian but with Fairtrade input. Quantities are for four serving portions of this eastern Mediterranean dish.

Ingredients

1 large

butternut squash (750 g to 1 kg)

2 large

red onions

FAIRTRADE lemon

1 small clove

garlic

45 ml

Zaytoun FAIRTRADE olive oil

to taste

salt and black pepper

50 ml

FAIRTRADE light tahini paste

50 g

pine kernels

5 g

Zaytoun Fair Trade za'atar herb mixture

10 g

fresh parsley

Method

Preparation

Open the squash and remove seeds and skin. Chop the flesh into 2cm chunks or wedges.

Skin the onions and quarter lengthways.

Juice the lemon.

Skin the garlic for crushing.

Pick, wash and chop the fresh parsley.

Cooking

Vegetables

Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 7 (220 °C; 425 °F).

Put the squash chunks into a large bowl, add the oil, a good pinch of salt, and some black pepper, and toss well. Move the squash to an oiled casserole dish and roast for 10 minutes.

Add the onion quarters and a drizzle more of oil and turn the oven down to gas mark 5 (190 °C; 375 °F).

Roast for 30 minutes until both veggies are tender to a testing knife.

Sauce

Meanwhile, put the tahini in a small bowl with the lemon juice, 2 to 3 g salt, and crush in the garlic.

Whisk to the consistency of honey, adding more water or more tahini as necessary.

Dry fry the pine kernels until they just start to colour (watch carefully or they will burn). Add a drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of salt once they are ready.

Assembly

Spread the vegetables on a platter and drizzle over the sauce. Scatter on the pine kernels and sprinkle with the za'atar and fresh herbs.

To serve

Serve hot as a side dish.

Notes

Pine kernels are very expensive: substitute sunflower seeds if necessary.