I love places, where not only the food is good, but they also give me inspiration to cook things at home. Don't get me wrong, one of my favourite things on earth is going to a fancy restaurant, where I get pampered and served dishes that I could never even dream of attempting in my own kitchen. But sometimes, a simple cafe is perfect to order some food and get some ideas about your weekend meal. This recipe was created after visiting one of these places: Ottolenghi. I went to Ottolenghi in Islington many, many years ago and started cooking variations of this recipe just as many years ago. I seem to remember it was a grilled aubergine salad with yoghurt dressing that inspired me in the first place.
Yoghurt in savoury dishes is commonly used in Greece (tzatziki is one obvious example). It works really well with warm, spicy dishes, and gives a beautiful, rich and slightly cooling aspect to the dish. I 'm not sure if it is because I am Greek or not, but Greek yoghurt is so yummy! Much prefer it to other yoghurts! Anyway, I am done promoting Greek food yet again! Here is the recipe - which is not Greek! :)
Serves 2 and baby
2 butternut squashes
2 red peppers
150 g mange tout
2 hand fulls fresh baby spinach
2 tbs olive oil
1 tsp paprika
for the dressing
200g Greek yoghurt
2 cloves of garlic in their skins
2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
1 tbs finely chopped parsley
Turn the fan oven on at 180 degrees. Skin the butternut squashes and cut them in approximately 1.5 inch chunks. Cut the peppers into long slices. Place is a baking tray and drizzle with the olive oil and the paprika. Add the garlic cloves in their skins to the tray and bake for 20-30 minutes, or until the squash has softened. In the meantime, boil the mange tout until they are al dente (leave a few to boil for longer for baby). After 20 minutes in the oven, remove the garlic cloves from the tray (return the tray to the oven, if the squash needs more cooking). Peel the garlic cloves and chop them finely, then add them to the yoghurt, along with the extra virgin olive oil and the chopped parsley. Mix well.
To assemble the salad, lay a hand full of spinach in each bowl, then top with the mange tout and the roasted squash and peppers. Top with some (or plenty) of the dressing and serve. For baby you can offer whatever vegetables you feel comfortable with (I offered squash, peppers and mange tout with no dressing, as she still finds yoghurt a little sour!). Enjoy. x
Yoghurt in savoury dishes is commonly used in Greece (tzatziki is one obvious example). It works really well with warm, spicy dishes, and gives a beautiful, rich and slightly cooling aspect to the dish. I 'm not sure if it is because I am Greek or not, but Greek yoghurt is so yummy! Much prefer it to other yoghurts! Anyway, I am done promoting Greek food yet again! Here is the recipe - which is not Greek! :)
Serves 2 and baby
2 butternut squashes
2 red peppers
150 g mange tout
2 hand fulls fresh baby spinach
2 tbs olive oil
1 tsp paprika
for the dressing
200g Greek yoghurt
2 cloves of garlic in their skins
2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
1 tbs finely chopped parsley
Turn the fan oven on at 180 degrees. Skin the butternut squashes and cut them in approximately 1.5 inch chunks. Cut the peppers into long slices. Place is a baking tray and drizzle with the olive oil and the paprika. Add the garlic cloves in their skins to the tray and bake for 20-30 minutes, or until the squash has softened. In the meantime, boil the mange tout until they are al dente (leave a few to boil for longer for baby). After 20 minutes in the oven, remove the garlic cloves from the tray (return the tray to the oven, if the squash needs more cooking). Peel the garlic cloves and chop them finely, then add them to the yoghurt, along with the extra virgin olive oil and the chopped parsley. Mix well.
To assemble the salad, lay a hand full of spinach in each bowl, then top with the mange tout and the roasted squash and peppers. Top with some (or plenty) of the dressing and serve. For baby you can offer whatever vegetables you feel comfortable with (I offered squash, peppers and mange tout with no dressing, as she still finds yoghurt a little sour!). Enjoy. x
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