Recipe from gordonramsay.com
Notes
My experience with making this recipe led me to want to include a couple of notes.
- The spices will take close to 10 minutes over medium heat before the seeds start popping.
- Peel the garlic first. I don’t understand why he thinks it’s a better idea to fish the garlic peels out of the molten-hot roasted squash.
- Roasted butternut squash is very sweet, be prepared to add lots of salt and/or lemon to counterbalance the flavor. I juiced 2 small lemons, and I believe more wouldn’t hurt.
Ingredients
Houmous
- 1 butternut squash, about 850g, peeled, deseeded and cubed
- 2 garlic cloves, bashed* (see notes above)
- 3cm piece of fresh root ginger, peeled and finely chopped
- Olive oil
- 1 tbsp tahini
- 1 x 400g tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- Juice of ½ lemon* (see notes above)
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Warmed or griddled pitta bread or flatbread, to serve
Ras el Hanout Spice Blend
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 tsp cloves
- 1 tbsp coriander seeds
- ½ tbsp fenugreek seeds
- ½ tbsp fennel seeds
- 1 tbsp mustard seeds
- ½ tbsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp paprika
Method
Serves 8-10
- First make the spice blend. Break the cinnamon stick into pieces. Place in a dry pan with the cloves and seeds, and toast over a medium heat for about 1 minute until aromatic and the seeds are popping (shake the spices in the pan as you heat them to prevent them from burning).* (see notes above)
- Once toasted, remove from the heat, and add the paprika. Place in a spice grinder, blender or mortar and grind until the mixture is a powder – sift it if necessary. This spice blend will keep for up to 3 months if stored in an airtight container.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/Gas 4.
- Make the houmous. In a large bowl mix the cubed squash, garlic cloves* (see notes above) and ginger with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and 1 tablespoon of the spice mix. Season with salt and pepper and scatter in a single layer in a roasting tray. Place in the preheated oven and cook for 30 minutes until tender all the way through.
- Once the squash is soft, add the contents of the tray to a blender, discarding the garlic skins. Add the tahini, chickpeas and a squeeze of lemon juice along with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Blend until smooth. Taste and adjust the seasoning as necessary – you might need some extra lemon juice.
- Transfer the houmous to a bowl and sprinkle with a little of the spice mix. Drizzle with olive oil and serve with warmed or griddled pitta bread on the side.
