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Squash, chicory, hazelnuts and rosemary
Serves 4 Starters and mains
Ingredients
- 4tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion, halved and thinly sliced
- 3 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced
- 750g butternut squash, peeled and cut into 2-4cm cubes
- 150ml vegetable stock
- 4 small heads red chicory, halved
- 2 or 3 sprigs rosemary, roughly chopped
- 100g blanched hazelnuts
Method
First, make a butternut squash purée. Set a large, heavy-based pan over a medium heat. Add 2tbsp of the olive oil to the pan, followed by the onion, two-thirds of the garlic and all of the squash. Season. Gently fry, stirring regularly, for 10-12 minutes, then pour in the vegetable stock. Place a lid on the pan and cook for a further 15-20 minutes, or until the squash is tender.
Remove the pan from the heat and allow the contents to cool for 5-10 minutes. Spoon out the squash, onions and garlic into a jug blender, ensuring that you don’t add too much liquid as you do so, as you want the purée to be nice and thick. Whizz the mixture until completely smooth. Season to taste and set aside.
Set a large, heavy griddle pan over a really high heat. When it’s smoking, add the chicory heads, trickle with 1tbsp of the olive oil and season. Griddle the chicory until it’s charred on the outside but still tender in the middle – around 8-10 minutes on each side.
In a small pan heat the remaining olive oil over a medium heat. Add the remaining garlic, the rosemary and the hazelnuts. Fry gently for 3-4 minutes until the garlic is soft but not burnt. Season with salt, remove from the heat and set aside.
To serve, spoon the purée out over a large, warm serving plate. Top with the chargrilled chicory and finish by scattering the warm hazelnuts over the top.
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