Vegetarian mains
Crown Prince squash steaks with warm hummus
Warm hummus acts as the perfect base for charred Crown Prince squash ‘steaks’ in this vibrant vegan dish. We’ve accentuated the hummus by adding caramelised red onions, which go beautifully with the warming Moroccan spices.
Cook's notes
Serves 2 as a main, or 4 as a side. This recipe works well served with a big pile of dressed salad leaves and watercress.
Ingredients
For the squash steaks
- 1 small Crown Prince squash
- olive oil
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
- 1 tsp toasted cumin seeds
For the hummus:
- 500g cooked chickpeas
- 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
- juice of 1 lemon
- 1 tbsp tahini
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground coriander
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp allspice
- 1 tsp brown sugar
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- olive oil
Method
To make the squash steaks
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Step 1
Preheat your oven to 180°C/Gas 6.
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Step 2
Sit the squash on a chopping board. Use a really sharp knife to cut from the top centre all the way down. Cut again so you have a 1½ inch thick wedge, and then repeat, so you have two wedges or ‘steaks’. There should be plenty of leftover squash - cover and refrigerate to use in another recipe.
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Step 3
Heat a griddle pan until it’s smoking hot. Lightly oil the steaks and season with salt. Griddle the squash for 5 minutes each side; the squash should have thick black char marks.
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Step 4
While they are cooking in the griddle pan, put the paprika, fennel seeds and cumin seeds into a baking tray, and add a glug of oil.
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Step 5
Once charred, put the steaks in the baking tray and move them around so they pick up the spices on the bottom of the tray. Make sure to turn over to cover both sides. Finish in the oven by cooking for 15-20 minutes.
To make the hummus:
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Step 1
Put the sliced red onion in a heavy bottomed pan with a glug of olive oil, and fry gently over a low heat. Stir occasionally, and cook until the onions have caramelised - go slow and make sure they don’t burn.
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Step 2
In a blender, combine the chickpeas, caramelized onions, spices and tahini. If it’s too thick to blend, add a glug of olive oil, and if it’s still too thick, add some water. Once you’re left with a hummus-like consistency, transfer the mixture into a saucepan. Cook on a low heat to gently warm it through. Add the lemon juice to taste and season with salt and pepper.
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Step 3
To serve, put the warm hummus on a plate with the squash steaks on top.