Hasselback butternut squash roasted until caramelised and sticky in a harissa and honey glaze, then topped with a herby feta salsa, nutty toasted almonds and ruby red jewels of pomegranate. Gluten-free.
Preheat the oven to 180°c fan/200°c/gas 6.
Combine the harissa paste, honey, extra virgin olive oil and a generous amount of salt and pepper in a small saucepan. Bring to a gentle simmer, then let the mix bubble away and reduce for 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, peel the skin from both the butternut squash, then use a sharp knife to cut them in half lengthways and remove the seeds. Place the squash on a chopping board, cut side down, and place a chopstick on either side. Carefully make a cut every half a centimetre, so that the knife hits the wood and doesn’t cut through the squash completely.
Place the hasselbacked squash onto a baking tray and pour over the harissa mixture. Use your hands or a pastry brush to coat all sides of each squash (including underneath), trying to get the glaze in between the cuts. Finish each squash with a sprinkling of salt and pepper, then roast in the oven for 1 hour-1 hour 15 minutes, basting the squash with any liquid in the bottom of the tray halfway through, until soft and slightly charred.
Meanwhile, you can make the feta salsa. Finely chop the red onion and parsley. Discard the hard stalks from the mint, then finely chop that too. Crumble the feta cheese onto the chopping board with the herbs, then drizzle with the olive oil and lemon juice and zest. Roughly mix everything together and chill until ready to serve.
Once the squash is ready, serve topped with the feta salsa, toasted flaked almonds and pomegranate seeds. Serve warm.
Recipe courtesy of georgieeats.co.uk