By Michael Minorgan for Curtains Up minorgan@yahoo.ca
Roasted Butternut Squash with Burnt Aubergine and Pickled Lemons
Adapted (slightly) from recipe by Yotam Ottolenghi & Sami Tamimi
For ever on the lookout for interesting and well written cookbooks (there are hundreds that are absolutely terrible and put together without much thought or imagination) I came across a chef whose work with vegetables is world renown and has 4 restaurants in England to prove it. His cookbooks, he has two, treat vegetables in a way I have never experienced before. He manages to elevate vegetables to new heights bring out their natural goodness with the skilful use of herbs and spices and various unique cooking techniques. For anyone interested in vegetarian cooking I strongly suggest getting a hold of one his books. His name is Yotam Ottolenghi and his two cookbooks are Jerusalem and Plenty. Mr Ottolenghi is by no means strictly a vegetarian, far from it, but his skill and reverence to vegetables is beyond reproach.
The recipe this week is a combination of his recipes that come together for a truly awesome meal. Let the vegetables shine and….Enjoy!
Quick Pickled Lemons
1x smallish red chilli, roughly chopped
juice of 1x lemon
3x medium lemons
(halved lengthwise, then sliced width ways as thinly as possible)
35g caster sugar
1 tablespoon coarse sea salt
1x clove garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
Grind the chilli to a rough paste with juice of 1/2 lemon in a mortar and pestle. Transfer to a large bowl with the juice of the other half of the lemon, and all the remaining ingredients. Mix everything together well, massaging all the flavourings into the lemons. Cover the bowl and leave on the bench overnight. Next day transfer to a clean, sterilised jar and refrigerate. Will keep for approximately 2 weeks.
Burnt Aubergine with Yogurt
6 tbsp olive oil
salt and black pepper
1 medium aubergine
150g Greek yogurt, at room temperature
½ tsp pomegranate molasses
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp flat-leaf parsley, chopped
½ clove garlic, crushed
Place the aubergine directly on a high flame and roast for 12 minutes, turning occasionally. Leave to cool slightly, then cut in half. Scoop out the flesh, avoiding the burnt skin. Drain in a colander for 10 minutes.
In a bowl, whisk together the aubergine, yogurt, two tablespoons of olive oil, pomegranate molasses, lemon juice, half the parsley and the garlic. Season with salt and pepper. It should be sweetly sharp.
*Note: Ottolenghi offers a method for burning the aubergines of lining the base of a gas hob with tin foil and then blackening them directly in the flame. This smacks to me of “mess” and also having to stand over the flame and keep moving the aubergines around. His alternative suggestion is doing them in the oven under a hot grill.
Roasted Butternut Squash with Sweet Spices, Chile and Lime
Ingredients
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 medium butternut squash (about 2 pounds)
2 tablespoons green cardamom pods
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 cinnamon stick
Fresh thyme sprigs
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 serrano chile, deseeded and thinly sliced
Cilantro leaves
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400°F.
Cut the butternut squash into wedges. Lay the slices on a baking sheet lined with a parchment paper.
Place several cardamom pods on a cutting board. Using the flat side of a large knife, rest the knife on top of the pods then give it a good thwack with the palm of your hand (be careful here! never hit the sharp part of the knife with your hand). This will allow you to easily get the seeds from the pods. Repeat this process with remaining cardamom pods until you have extracted all of the seeds. Discard the pods.
Place seeds in a mortar and grind with a pestle along with cinnamon stick until you reach a rough mixture don’t over process (or use a spice grinder). Transfer to a small bowl and add allspice and remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil, stirring to combine. Brush the mixture evenly over the butternut squash slices. Sprinkle the slices with a little flaky sea salt. Place in the oven and cook until fork tender (an inserted fork meets little resistance, about 16 minutes). Remove from the oven and set aside to cool..
To serve, arrange the butternut squash slices on a large platter. Serve Burnt Aubergine mixture on the side and top with Pickled Lemons and drizzle good quality olive oil over all. Top with some sliced chillies and cilantro
