1023. Butternut Roast Squash with Chili Yogurt and Coriander

It is only fairly recently that I started to enjoy butternut squash and truly appreciate its qualities. It takes one taste of a perfectly roasted, caramelized, and slightly charred wedge of butternut to change your mind.
This recipe, a work of art, really, does exactly that, and tingles the senses with the addition of dollops of spicy chili yogurt, and a fragrant coriander pesto of sorts. All this topped of with a fun sprinkling of roasted pumpkin seeds, that further expands on the texture component.

Ingredients:

1 large butternut squash (about 1.4kg)
1 tsp ground cinnamon
6 Tbsp olive oil
Salt and black pepper
1 cup coriander, plus extra leaves for garnish
1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
1 cup Greek yoghurt
2 tsp chilli hotsauce

Method:

Heat the oven to 400F. Cut the squash in half lengthways, remove and discard the seeds, then cut it – skin and all – into 7cm-long and 2cm-thick wedges. Put these in a large bowl with the cinnamon, two tablespoons of olive oil, three-quarters of a teaspoon of salt and half a teaspoon of pepper, and rub evenly into the squash. Lay the squash skin side down on two oven trays and roast for 25-30 minutes, until soft and starting to color. Remove and leave to cool.
Meanwhile, put the coriander, garlic, remaining oil and a generous pinch of salt in a small food processor and blitz to a fine paste.
Lower the oven temperature to 320F. Lay the pumpkin seeds on an oven tray and roast for six to eight minutes. The skins will pop open and they'll go light and crisp. Remove and set aside.
To serve, mix the yoghurt and chilli hotsauce. Lay the squash wedges on a platter, drizzle over the yoghurt sauce and then the herb paste (you can also swirl them together). Scatter the seeds on top, followed by a few coriander leaves, and serve.

صحة و عافية