Roast squash and plums in garlic, ginger and chilli

Autumn

Nothing says autumn like woodland, as its leaves take on a thousand shades of gold, chestnut and tawny. Except, maybe... a tray of roasted squash, blistered and sweet from the oven. These colourful wedges are roasted with dark red plums, which cut the floury flesh with their sharp fruitiness. Chilli, ginger and garlic are warming additions and a scattering of pumpkin seeds adds a delectable crunch.

Serves 4

Ingredients

2–3 small–medium squash (such as kabocha, Blue Hokkaido, sweet dumpling, acorn or butternut), halved, deseeded and cut into wedges
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium-hot red chilli, deseeded and thinly sliced
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 tbsp tamari sauce
2 tbsp runny honey
1 thumb-sized piece of root ginger, grated
2 tbsp pumpkin seeds
8 plums (such as Blue Tit or Victoria), left whole
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

Heat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/400°F/gas mark 6.

Place the squash wedges in a large roasting tin and trickle over the olive oil. Season well with salt and pepper and place in the oven for 30–35 minutes, turning once, until the wedges are almost tender enough to eat.

Meanwhile, combine the chilli, garlic, tamari, honey, ginger and pumpkin seeds in a bowl.

When the squash is ready, remove the tray from the oven and add the plums. Spoon the tamari and ginger mixture over the plums and squash, give everything a shake and return to the oven for 10–15 minutes, or until the plums are just beginning to break down and the squash is completely cooked through.

Allow to cool for 5 minutes before serving. Brown rice makes an excellent accompaniment.

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