Roasted Baby Butternut with Salsa Verde & Goat Cheese

Servings: 6

Ease of Preparation: Medium

This recipe is part of the One BIG Recipe: Veal Roast Dinner

ROASTED BABY BUTTERNUT WITH SALSA VERDE & GOAT CHEESE

Ingredients:

Salsa Verde:

• 4 cups (1 L) chopped tomatillos
• 1 small yellow onion, chopped
• 1 jalapeño, chopped (remove ½ of the seeds)
• 3 serrano peppers (canned ok), chopped (remove ½ of the seeds)
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 Poblano pepper, chopped
• 1-2 tablespoons (15-30 ml) olive oil
• Salt
• ½ bunch of cilantro, chopped
• 1 tablespoon (15 ml) chopped garlic
• ½ lime, juice

Roasted Baby Butternut:

• 3 very small (mini or baby) butternut squashes
• 6 teaspoons (90 ml) olive oil
• Salt and pepper

Garnish:

• ¼ cup (60 ml) sunflower seeds
• 3-ounce (85 g) piece of goat cheese

Method:

For the Salsa Verde:

Preheat a broiler to high heat.

In a medium bowl, combine tomatillos, onion, jalapeño, serrano, bell pepper, and Poblano peppers.

Drizzle olive oil into the veggies, season with salt.

Toss all to combine, transfer to a baking tray in an even layer.

Broil the veggies for 10 minutes until well charred, tossing every 2 minutes.

When ready, remove the veggies from the broiler and set aside to cool completely.

When the charred vegetables are cool, transfer to the bowl of a food processor.

Add cilantro, add to the bowl.

Add garlic and the juice and zest from ½ lime.

Pulse to make a fairly smooth salsa, taste and adjust seasoning with salt.

Transfer to a container and refrigerate until needed.

For the Sunflower Seed Garnish:

Preheat the oven to 375 F (190 C).

Spread sunflower seeds on a baking sheet in an even layer.

Roast in the oven for 3-5 minutes, or until aromatic and starting to colour.

Remove from the pan right away to stop the cooking, reserve at room temperature until needed for plating.

For the Roasted Baby Butternuts:

Inspect 3 very small (mini or baby) butternut squashes and clean as needed.

Slice each in half, lengthwise, and use a sturdy spoon to scoop out the seeds.

Drizzle the cut sides with olive oil (about 2-3 teaspoons per piece), season with salt and pepper.

Arrange the squashes, cut side down on, on a lined baking tray.

Roast for 20 minutes until charred and soft.

When done, remove from oven and keep warm.

To Serve:

Pull the Salsa Verde and goat cheese from the refrigerator to come to room temperature.

Lay out 6 small plates, transfer one half of each (warm) roasted baby butternut onto each, cut side up.

Garnish each with Salsa Verde, crumbled goat cheese, and toasted sunflower seeds.

Serve immediately.