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

1. 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)
2. 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.
3. Preheat the oven to 180°C/Gas 4.
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.
5. 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.
6. 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.