Recipe: Roasted squash & kale salad with tahini

This is a salad that uses summer ingredients like tomatoes, salad leaves and baby carrots, yet introduces those beautiful and comforting autumnal ingredients like squash and kale.

The recipe is really adaptable, depending on what you can get hold of and what you like. The roasted butternut squash is tender, with caramelised edges and a nice bite from the skin, while the squash seeds add an extra crunchy pop. The carrots are spiced with Ras El Hanout, along with a gentle kick from the chilli flakes. The sweetness of the carrots is paired with the tartness of the pomegranate molasses, although lemon juice would work just as well. It’s built up with kale and salad leaves, two greens which contrast each other nicely. Finally, it’s dressed with the radishes and tomatoes and finished with a drizzle of tahini along with roughly-chopped, toasted almonds.

Serves 2 

INGREDIENTS:

• 400g butternut squash
• A large handful of kale or cavolo nero – roughly chopped
• A handful of whole almonds
• 6 cherry tomatoes – halved
• 3 radishes – sliced
• 6 baby carrots or 2 carrots sliced into quarter lengths
• 2 tbsp tahini
• ½ a lemon
• 1 tsp ras el hanout
• ¼ tsp chilli flakes if you like a little heat
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp pomegranate molasses or 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 spring onions – finely sliced
• 2 handfuls of mixed salad leaves
• 4 garlic cloves

METHOD: 

1/ Pre-heat the oven to 200C. Slice and de-seed the squash (save the seeds!), leaving the skin on. Cut into 2cm-thick slices then cut these in half to create C shapes. Toss the squash in 1 tbsp olive oil, the garlic cloves, and a generous sprinkling of salt, then roast in the oven on the top shelf for 45 minutes, turning halfway through.

2/ Rinse your saved squash seeds, removing any pulp. Pat them dry and sprinkle over the squash 10 minutes towards the end.

3/ Rinse your carrots. If using baby carrots you can leave them whole, if not then quarter them lengthways. Place in a roasting tin and shake them in the Ras El Hanout, chilli flakes if you like some heat, and the pomegranate molasses or squeeze of lemon juice. Roast for 25 minutes, turning halfway. Add the whole almonds 10 minutes before the carrots are ready.

4/ Massage the kale with a little olive oil and start building your salad in your bowls with the kale, salad leaves, sliced radishes, and tomatoes. Whisk the tahini with a little water and some lemon juice to a dressing consistency.

5/ When the seed-crusted squash and spiced carrots are caramelised and tender, finish your salad with a few pieces of each. Roughly chop the almonds, drizzle with the tahini dressing, then scatter the almonds and spring onions.