- 1 butternut squash
- 2 shallots
- 2 garlic cloves
- 200g heirloom tomatoes
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 200g spaghetti
- A handful of oregano, leaves only
- 1 lemon
- ½ x 150g Perl Las cheese
- 50g rocket
- Sea salt
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- Freshly ground pepper
- 100ml boiling water
- Large pan with a lid
- Vegetable peeler
- Large frying pan
- 1.
Put a large pan of salted water on to boil. Peel the butternut squash, then cut it in half and scoop out the seeds. Slice the squash into 1cm-thick chunks. Peel the shallots and finely chop them. Peel the garlic cloves and crush or finely chop them.
- 2.
Pour 1 tbsp olive oil into a large frying pan and warm to a medium heat. Slide in the chopped shallots and garlic. Add a pinch of salt and pepper. Fry for 2 mins.
- 3.
Add the chopped squash and 100ml boiling water. Cover the pan with a lid and cook for 10 mins, stirring occasionally, till the squash has softened (if the pan starts to look dry during that time, add an extra 2-3 tbsp water).
- 4.
Meanwhile, halve the heirloom tomatoes and slide them into a bowl. Add 1 tbsp olive oil and 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper, toss to mix and set aside. Pick the leaves off the oregano sprigs.
- 5.
By now the water in the pan from step 1 should be boiling. Add the spaghetti to the pan and cook for 8-9 mins, till tender with a slight bite. When the pasta is cooked, drain it, reserving a mugful of the starchy cooking water.
- 6.
Tip the drained spaghetti into the frying pan with the squash. Add the oregano leaves and crumble in half the pack of Perl Las. Squeeze in the juice from half the lemon with 3 tbsp of reserved pasta water. Stir together well, till the cheese has melted into a sauce. Add more pasta water, if needed, to loosen the sauce.
- 7.
Add the rocket leaves to the bowl with the tomatoes and toss to dress. Pile the pasta onto plates and serve with the salad on the side.
- Tip
Feeling Blue
The leftover Perl Las cheese will keep in the fridge, wrapped for a few days. Treat yourself to an autumnal toasty bu grilling a slice of bread, then flipping over and topping with sliced pear, chopped walnuts and the crumbled Perl Las. Grill till the cheese is melted and drizzle with a little honey before serving.