warm salad of roasted squash, prosciutto and pecorino

method

This is one of those easy salads with a twist. You may have tried a Parma ham, arugula and Parmesan salad with a little balsamic vinegar, but by adding warm roasted squash and trying it with Pecorino cheese, which is slightly smoother than Parmesan, it’s a real pleasure and even feels a bit posh.

Preheat your oven to 375°F. Carefully cut your butternut squash in half, keeping the seeds intact. Remove the two ends and discard them. Cut each half into quarters and lay in a roasting pan. Rub with a little olive oil. With a mortar and pestle pound up a flat teaspoon each of salt, pep- per and your chilli and coriander seeds. Scatter this over the squash. Roast the squash for half an hour or until soft and golden. Allow to cool a little.

Lay your prosciutto on 4 plates — let it hang over the rim of the plates and encourage it to twist and turn so it doesn’t look neat and flat. Tear up your warm squash and put it in and around the ham. Sprinkle over the seeds and the arugula. Drizzle over the olive oil and balsamic vine- gar, add a tiny pinch of salt and pepper, and use a vegetable peeler to shave over the Pecorino.
Easily done.

serves: 4

ingredients

• 1 butternut squash

• olive oil

• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

• 1 small dried red chilli

• 1 heaped teaspoon coriander seeds

• 20 slices prosciutto or Parma ham

• 4 handfuls of arugula

• 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

• 4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

• 1 small block of Pecorino or Parmesan cheese