Yesterday I had a completely fabulous day at the ITV studios with Melanie, having the ultimate rubberneck at Phil Vickery's kitchen, and boring him senseless with the exciting news of 'Chomp On This'. He was terribly helpful (poor man being pounced on by two very excitable women) and had a few handy tips, but feel that we may have rather outstayed our welcome, after we were spotted having a little muck about by his pretend sink.....
But, back to cooking... I have my lovely brother staying from New York (just for one night to let us all know that he is kicking some ass back in NYC - so in his honour, we had a few friends over to join us and eat some good grub that would rival ITV's cooking slot any day..
This recipe is one of my favourites, so putting aside my brother's back seat cooking, I was allowed to create it in relative peace. I have cooked it hundreds of times, and when I've been to people's houses since, I have seen it recreated just as many. It is fabulous, looks amazing, tastes amazing and never fails to impress.
INGREDIENTS (FOR 6)
2 Butternut Squash (peeled, deseeded, cubed)
3 red onion (thickly sliced)
8 figs (halved or quartered - depending on their size)
4 tbsp tahini
Packet of pine nuts
Bunch of parsley
Za'tar (mediterranean spice - sold in Waitrose, sometimes Tesco, Sainsbury's and Asda - but sometimes not)
4 cloves of Garlic (finely chopped)
Olive oil
Lemon juice
Salt and pepper
Once the squash is cubed - put them in the oven (220 deg), with the red onions, some oil, salt and pepper, and roast for about 35 mins until a bit brown and cooked through. Keep an eye on the onions so they don't burn. When they are done, take them out and add the figs, mix them in and leave to the side for a bit.
In a bowl, mix the tahini and about 4 tbsp lemon juice - it may mix a bit funny, but keep whisking and keep adding a bit of water till it resembles the consistency of honey. Add the finely chopped 4 cloves of garlic and a bit of salt.
In a frying pan, cook the pine nuts (you don't need oil) - but keep shaking them about so they don't burn.
15 minutes or near enough before you are ready to eat, put the squash/onions/figs back into the oven, and once it is all cooked, and before it hits the table... throw over the pine nuts.... drizzle over the tahini, followed by the za'tar, and then sprinkle over the parsley for a perfect finish.
We ate it with lemon roasted chicken and pea puree. And gave Phil's chocolate fondants a miss till another day.
On the photo front, everyone helped themselves, and then i realised I hadn't taken any, so had to clear everyone's plates and shoved the whole thing back in the dish - no one is ever going to want to come here for dinner again....
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