BUTTERNUT SQUASH, TAHINI & RICE: Vegetarian

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Butternut Squash, tahini dressing and brown rice makes a colourful  stick-to-your-ribs vegetarian dish with wonderfully complex flavours. 

Main course or side, a delicious colourful multi-flavoured & textured dish 

If you love butternut squash, this is for you.  If you've never tried butternut squash before, it could very well convert you.

This combo of Butternut Squash, Tahini & Rice is both inspired by and, in part, adapted from Ottolenghi.  The dressing is the Blogger's, as is the final combination of ingredients.  

For a vegetarian meal, it's really delicious and a vegan option is available.

It's versatile; serve it warm or at room temperature. at lunchtime, dinner or as a side.  Ring the changes with ease; customise to your taste with favourite additions.   Add finely sliced red bell pepper, cooked green beans or peas.  Stir into a crisp salad.  Replace the creamy dressing with a hummous/lemon emulsion.   

It will likely become a favourite dish.  

Cost:£4.00 (4/24)

Serves: 4 mains, 8 sides; recipe expands easily

Ingreds:

1 small butternut squash 1.25-2 pounds (67 used a Golden Squash, squatter than the usual gourd)

1 med red onion

few tablespoons oil

generous half tsp salt

generous 1/4 tsp pepper

min 180g/6.3oz - max 500g/15 oz cooked brown rice 

20g pine nuts or sunflower seeds or nuts of choice 

1 tsp za'atar (Middle Eastern spice mix of thyme, sesame seeds, sumac, oregano, marjoram & salt; in most supermarkets)

1.5 tsp roughly chopped fresh parsley and/or mint OR 1/3 tsp dried

Creamy Tahini Dressing

   100gm/3.5 oz 0-fat yoghurt

   2 tbsp mayonnaise
   1 generous tsp lemon juice OR white wine vinegar
   1 small clove garlic, finely grated
   2 tsp chopped fresh or 3/4 tsp dried mint 
   pepper & salt
   1 tbsp good tahini

   1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds (opt) 

Additions (opt):

finely sliced red pepper

cooked peas

cooked tender steam broccoli

cooked fine green beans

Method

1. Preheat oven to 220c/425f OR when ready to cook, Air Fryer to 190c/375f.
2. Prepare squash (see Serious Eats). (If you like, save time and effort with   about 500g/1 pound ready prepared squash from major supermarkets.) Thickly slice red onion.  Mix in a large bowl.
3. Add a generous glug of oil (1.5-2 tbsp),  coarse sea salt &  ground black pepper; toss until squash is well coated 
4. Spread in a single layer on a lined baking sheet/airfryer tray;  roast 35 mins or until a skewer meets no resistance when inserted.  Turn halfway through cooking; check near end to prevent burning 
5. Leave to cool
6. If saving some squash for another dish, remove and set aside. Mix rice with squash, onions & their juices   
7. Toast pine nuts, seeds or nuts, pref in oven, 5 mins.  (A Frying pan will do) 
8. Mix tahini dressing ingredients; if too thick for drizzling, add  more lemon juice or stock, bit by bit, until it reaches desired consistency
9. When ready to serve, spread veg/rice mix on a platter; drizzle over dressing to moisten but not overwhelm 
10. Scatter over nuts/seeds, then za'atar & parsley or mint 

Comments: 'I loved the Middle Eastern flavours; never was butternut squash so invitingly presented or so unexpectedly tasty.  It was brilliant mixed with rice but also in a salad.  If you're not used to salt, the meal can be slightly over-seasoned but salt can be adjusted to personal tastes.'  

Tips:

• To make the dish go further, add the max amount of cooked rice (almost equal to the squash) OR set aside half the cooked squash for another meal

• 

  Butternut Squash Salad

  leftover dressing is great for sandwiches/ salads; keeps 3 days in fridge
• Salad of Butternut Squash & Creamy Tahini Dressing: replace rice with lettuce, cucumber, cooked peas & finely chopped red pepper; replace seeds with toasted cashews
• Find Ottolenghi's Dairy-free Vegan Tahini Dressing: here.  (untested by 67goingonon50) For singletons/couples 67 suggests using 1/3 of the ingredients 

 

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This recipe has been inspired by and partly adapted from Ottolengthi with original touches from B M Lee/ Bright Sun Enterprises.