Roasted butternut squash with vegetables & goat's cheese

This season I am little bit late with the pumpkin recipes, but this new dish made out for this. Funny thing - when I cook with the pumpkin or butternut squash especially roasted I always feel like new dish is absolutely the best and THIS is it. And then I come to another recipe and it is even better and again my new favourite. It was exactly the same with this "Olive" magazine recipe from March 2007 issue. I have changed it slighlty though. Another nice thing happened to me when I was preparing the squash - it revealed lovely hear shape when halved. I am in love with this veg.

 

Serves 2 

1 butternut squash, about 1.2kg, halved and deseeded 

1 garlic clove, peeled and finely chopped

3 tbsp olive oil 

a pinch or two dried chilli flakes

1 tsp thyme, leaves only (I used lemon thyme)

1 small courgette,  halved lenghtwise and cut into slices

1 red pepper, deseeded and cut into bite size chunks

1 medium red onion, peeled and cut into thin wedges

10 cherry tomatoes
2 springs of fresh thyme
handful pine nuts
60g goat's cheese, crumbled
1 tsp freshly grated pecorino
salt
pepper

Heat the oven to  190C (fan).

Cut criss-cross patterns over the cut-side of each half of butternut squash, making sure you do not cut the skin. Mix together the garlic, 1 tbsp olive oil, chilli and thyme and brush this mixture over the flesh. Place onto a baking tray and in the oven.

To make the filling, put the courgette, pepper and onion in a roasting tin and drizzle with the remaining olive oil. Season with salt and pepper, add thyme springs and place in the oven after about 20 minutes of roasting the squash. After about 15 minutes add the cherry tomatoes and pine nuts and cook for another 10 minutes.

Arrange the roasted vegetables and goat's cheese in the squash halves (if the holes are quite small arrange the vegetables on the flesh), sprinkle with some pecorino cheese and bake for furhter 10 minutes.