Vegetarian mains
Squash, radicchio & pear with ricotta & hazelnuts
This dish has a wonderful balance of flavours and textures: sweet roasted squash and pear, slightly bitter radicchio, creamy ricotta and crunchy hazelnuts, and a punchy balsamic, orange and mustard dressing. We served it on a bed of wild rice to make it a complete meal, but you could use any rice or grain.
Cook's notes
The dressing can be made in an empty jam jar. Store any leftover dressing in the fridge.
Ingredients
- ½ a butternut squash, halved lengthways & cut into half-moon shapes, 1cm thick
- 50g wild rice
- 1 radicchio, chopped into 6-8 wedges
- 1 pear, quartered & cored, then each quarter cut in half again
- 1 red onion, peeled & chopped into wedges
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- ½ tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 orange
- 2-4 tbsp olive oil
- 25g Parmesan, or vegetarian equivalent
- 125g ricotta
- 50g whole toasted hazelnuts, roughly chopped
Method
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Step 1
Heat your oven to 190°C/Gas 5.
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Step 2
Toss the squash in a large roasting tin in oil to coat. Season and roast for 10 minutes.
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Step 3
Rinse the wild rice in a sieve. Boil for 35-40 minutes, until tender with a little bite.
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Step 4
Remove the squash from the oven; turn the slices over and then toss in the onion and roast both for a further 5 minutes.
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Step 5
Toss the radicchio and pear with the squash and onion, adding a splash more oil and a little more salt and pepper to season. You need it all ideally to be in a single layer; you might need to use a second roasting tin. Roast it all for a further 20-25 minutes, until it’s all tender and starting to caramelise, tossing it carefully halfway through (depending on the size of your radicchio wedges, these may be ready before the other veg. If so, remove from the oven and set aside).
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Step 6
In a bowl (or shake in a jam jar), use a fork to whisk the honey, mustard and balsamic vinegar with 1 tbsp of orange juice and 2-3 tbsp of olive oil. Season with a little salt and pepper, to taste.
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Step 7
Drain the cooked wild rice in a sieve, then toss it with the cooked veg and pear and a little of the honey and mustard dressing. If you’ve used 2 tins, combine them together, then sprinkle over half the Parmesan and crumble over the ricotta. Return it to the oven for a couple of minutes to let the Italian cheese melt in a little.
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Step 8
Serve sprinkled with hazelnuts, remaining Parmesan and a drizzle of dressing, if you like.