Squash, sage, goat’s curd with chilli & pine nut butter
A hibernal hug of a dish from our award-winning restaurant the Field Kitchen. This will be served over the autumn and winter until our store of squash start to dwindle. A simple list of ingredients made magic by the method. A great starter or side dish to be shared at the table. If you can’t find a suitable goat’s cheese you can use labneh (strained yoghurt) or ricotta instead.
Cook's notes
Perfect brown butter is all about method. A deep nutty flavour is created by heating it until the milk solids start to cook. As they brown, they release delectable and complex flavours; but take it too far and the whole thing will burn and taste insipidly bitter. Using a light-coloured pan is best as it allows you to see the colour change more easily. Dicing the butter allows it to melt more evenly and stops the risk of burning some before the rest has even melted. Trust your nose as well as your eyes; toffee and hazelnut notes tell you it is ready.
Ingredients
- 1kg squash peeled and cut into 3cm chunks – we like Crown prince or Kabocha
- olive oil
- salt
- 12-15 sage leaves
- 200g soft goat’s cheese or curd
- 125g unsalted butter
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
- 40g toasted pine nuts
- dried chilli flakes, to taste
Method
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Step 1
Preheat your oven to 200°C/Gas 6. Toss the squash in a roasting tray with the sage leaves, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and a generous seasoning of salt. Roast for about 20 minutes or until the squash is tender and sage is crispy. Leave to one side to cool slightly.
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Step 2
Dice the butter and place it in medium saucepan over a gentle heat. Let it melt completely and then turn up the heat a little until it starts to turn golden brown and smells nutty – see cook’s notes. Remove from heat and add the lemon juice – it’ll foam and fizz when you do, so take care. Tip in the paprika and pine nuts and season generously with salt. Add the chilli flakes to taste - you want a bit of zing but not so much that it bullies the other flavours into submission.
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Step 3
Divide the squash between 4 plates and top with some curd. Spoon over the chilli and pine nut butter and garnish with the crispy sage leaves from the roasting tray. Alternatively, build the dish on a large serving platter and pass it around as part of a wider meal.