We had this last Sunday with a roasted shoulder of local lamb – it was superb. The cardamom goes really well with the lamb, and it’s a novel twist on the usual roasted veggies. I just love roasts, not least because they’re naturally gluten free and you don’t have to do any working around or missing out.
This will make enough for 2 people, so double up if you’re a foursome.
Roasted butternut squash with cardamom and orange
1 butternut squash, about 750g (1 1/2 lb)
1 large red onion
2 tbsp olive oil
For the glaze
8 cardamom pods
20g (small oz) muscovado sugar
3 tbsp fresh orange juice
Peel the squash, remove the seeds and cut each half into 5 or 6 pieces. Boil the squash in salted water for 3 minutes then drain.
Cut the onion into 6 segments and put in roasting tin with the squash and olive oil, coating well. Roast at 200C (400F) for around 30 minutes until tender and colouring on the edges.
To make the glaze, crush the cardamom pods in a pestle and mortar. Extract the seeds, chuck the pods, then crush the seeds until they resemble coarse ground black pepper. Mix the seeds with the orange juice, sugar and adjust for taste with salt and pepper.
Toss the roasted veg gently in the glaze and roast for 15 minutes more, tossing a couple of times.
And that, I promise you, is well worth the effort. Happy roasting! 🙂