One of the best things about autumn and winter for me has to be the abundance of different types of squash and pumpkin. Squash chunks roasted with some salt pepper and olive oil is something I love to eat, and can incorporated into so many dishes; salads, pasta, the list is endless. One thing I love to make with it is a more wintery take on the classic bruschetta.
This version has soft goats cheese, rocket and basil mixed with the butternut squash and drizzled with some fantastic quality olive oil. I’m currently using some fabulous basil oil from Pomora which I used both to roast the squash and to drizzle over the finished dish. It has a really subtle clean basil flavor which I love.
Butternut Squash, Goats Cheese and Basil Bruschetta (Serves 2 for lunch)
Ingredients:
- Half a butternut (or other) squash, peeled, seeds removed and cut into 1cm chunks
- 2 small handfuls rocket
- 4-5 basil leaves, shredded
- 4 tbsp basil oil
- 4 slices of ciabatta bread
- 1 garlic clove
- 100g soft goats cheese, broken roughly into small pieces
- salt and pepper to taste
Method:
- Put the squash chunks in a roasting tray and drizzle with 2 tbsp of the olive oil and season with the salt and pepper. Roast at 200ºC for 30-40 mins until soft
- In a bowl mix the rocket, basil and goats cheese, then when ready add the squash and mix gently
- Take the clove of garlic and rub over one side of each of the ciabatta slices and then drizzle the bread with a tiny amount ( 1/2tsp max) of olive oil
- Heat a griddle pan and toast the ciabatta. The time this takes will vary depending on how hot you pan is, but keep an eye on the bread and when slightly charred, turn and do the same on the other side, then remove from the heat
- Top the ciabatta with some of the squash mix then drizzle with some of the remaining basil oil.
Happy eating :)