I often cook squash and particularly love it roasted as it has a lovely sweet flavour. Don’t throw away the seeds – wash and dry them carefully, then fry them and they make a lovely snack or garnish. Why pay good money for a pack of pumpkin seeds when they’re there for the taking? Harissa is that spicy paste from North Africa and it’s available in jars in supermarkets.
Ingredients
- 500 g squash, cut into chunks, seeds reserved harissa paste
- 2 red onions, cut into thin wedges
- leaves from a large sprig of thyme
- 200 g feta cheese, cut into chunks
- 100 g giant couscous
- 1 lemon juice
- 1 tsp honey (optional)
- 150 g baby salad leaves
- a few mint or parsley leaves, to garnish
How to Make It
- Preheat the oven to 200°C/Fan 180°C/Gas 6. Put the squash in a bowl and add 2 tablespoons of harissa paste, rubbing it into the squash flesh. Arrange the squash in a roasting tin with the wedges of onion and season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with the thyme leaves and drizzle over 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
- Roast the squash and onions for 25 minutes, then brush the feta chunks with a teaspoon of olive oil and add them to the vegetables. Roast for a further 10 minutes, until the feta is slightly puffed up and starting to colour, then remove the tin from the oven.
- Wash the squash seeds thoroughly to get rid of any orange tendrils, then dry them with kitchen paper. Put the seeds in a frying pan with a tablespoon of oil and fry them until lightly coloured. Keep stirring or shaking the pan regularly. Season the seeds with salt and leave to cool.
- Meanwhile, cook the giant couscous. Bring a saucepan of water to the boil and add plenty of salt. Add the couscous and cook for 8 minutes or until cooked, then drain.
- For the dressing, whisk 2 tablespoons of olive oil with the lemon juice, honey, if using, and a teaspoon of harissa. Season with salt and pepper.
- To assemble, add a tablespoon of the dressing to the couscous and mix thoroughly. Arrange the salad in a bowl or lunchboxes, toss with the salad leaves and top with the squash and feta. When you’re ready to eat, drizzle over the remaining dressing and garnish with the herbs and some toasted squash seeds.