Beautiful squashes are coming into season soon and there’s no reason you shouldn’t use the whole veggie. A butternut salad is great for autumn and winter because it can be served slightly warm and still taste super delicious. This salad is easy to make, makes use of rich, comforting ingredients such as pear and blue cheese, and doesn’t waste a scrap of butternut.

SERVES 4 // COOKING TIME 55 mins

INGREDIENTS
1 butternut, chopped, seeds reserved
100 ml olive oil
Salt and black pepper
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp capers, chopped
1 tsp Dijon mustard
Juice of 1 lemon
100g lettuce
20g wild rocket
2 pears, cored and sliced
80g blue cheese, sliced

METHOD
1. Preheat oven to 200°C.
2. Place the butternut on a baking tray, drizzle with 3 tbsp olive oil and season. In a separate bowl, toss the seeds with paprika.
3. Bake the butternut for 20 minutes. Then remove from the oven, add the seeds and toss to mix. Return to the oven for another 15–20 minutes, until the butternut is cooked and slightly charred and the seeds are crispy.
4. To make the dressing, mix the remaining oil, capers, mustard and lemon juice.
5. Toss together the lettuce, rocket, pears and dressing.
6. To serve, arrange on a platter and top with warm butternut and seeds, and blue cheese.