Basil & Thyme Roasted Onions with Squash, Goat's Cheese & Walnuts
This is such a lovely autumnal dish and looks beautiful when brought to the table: it's the favourite of this book's designer, Pene. Serve with a green salad and good bread.
Ingredients
- Butternut squash: 1800g, peeled and cut into 1cm chunks
- Onions: 12 medium, halved
- Olive oil: 3 tablespoon
- Sea salt: 3 teaspoon
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Garlic: 12 cloves, unpeeled and halved
- Fresh basil leaves: 24
- Fresh thyme sprigs: A handful
- Soft goat's cheese: 375g (Without rind)
- Toasted walnuts: A handful, roughly broken
Dressing
- Fresh basil: 90g, very finely chopped
- Olive oil: 9 tablespoons
- Sea salt: 3 teaspoon
- Lemon juice: 1 1/2 tablespoon
Method
- Preheat the oven to 200°C fan/220°C/gas 7. Arrange the squash and onions in a single layer in a roasting tin or large lasagne dish, the onions cut side up. Mix everything well with the olive oil, then scatter over the salt and black pepper.
- Top each halved onion with half a clove of garlic, a basil leaf and a sprig of thyme and scatter the remaining thyme over the squash. Transfer to the oven and roast for 40 minutes.
- Remove the dish from the oven and roughly break the goat's cheese over the onions and squash in large chunks, making sure each onion gets a piece of cheese over it. Scatter over the walnuts, then return to the oven for a further 10 minutes, until the onions are soft through when pierced with a fork.
- Meanwhile, mix the chopped basil, olive oil, sea salt and lemon juice together. Once the onions are ready, pour over the dressing, and serve hot.
Notes
- Serves 4
- Prepare 10 minutes; cook 50 minutes.
- Note: if your onions are large, give them 50 minutes in the oven before topping with the goat's cheese.