Here’s a couple of easy side dishes that will feed loads of people! For the salad you can roast the squash and tomatoes and make the dressing ahead.
Cannellini Bean and Roast Squash Salad with Basil Dressing – to feed 12
- 1kg butternut squash, peeled and cut into small chunks
- olive oil
- 500g cherry tomatoes, halved
- 2 shallots, roughly chopped
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 4 tbsp red wine vinegar
- basil
- 4 x 400g tins cannellini beans, drained (we didn’t have cannellini so used a mix of flageolet and haricot beans)
Heat the oven to 220C/fan 180C/gas 6. Put the squash on a baking tray with 2 tbsp oil and season. Roast for 20 minutes then add the tomatoes, turn up the heat to 220C/fan 200C/gas 7 and roast for 15 minutes. Then cool.
Put the shallots, mustard, vinegar and basil in a processor and blend. Add 4 tbsp olive oil and 3tbsp of water and blend to make a dressing.
Put the beans on a platter. Top with the squash and tomatoes then drizzle over the dressing. Toss gently and serve.
Diced olive oil roasties with rosemary – to serve 12
- 2.5kg potatoes, peeled and cut into small chunks
- olive oil
- a few sprigs of rosemary
Heat the oven to 220C/fan 180C/gas 6.
Par-boil the potatoes for 5 minutes then drain. Toss with 4 tbsp olive oil and spread on a baking tray. Season and cook for 20 minutes. Sprinkle with the rosemary, toss then cook for another 25-30 minutes or until crispy and golden. Sprinkle with sea salt.
We served both dishes with some barbecued sausages – but you can serve them with whatever you like!
(Original recipes from BBC Olive, December 2011.)
Leave a Reply