Ok, so we’ve had the big meat fest, time to
lighten up – and this warm winter salad of smoked butternut squash and feta
cheese is just the job …
Smoking the squash & feta cheese
First prepare a medium butternut squash by
peeling, halving, removing the seeds and fibres (by scooping with a spoon), and
then cutting into 2cm cubes. Leave the feta in a block but patted it dry with
kitchen towel.
Cherry Bisquettes
Cold Smoke Adaptor
How smoky you want the cheese and squash to be is entirely up to you, if you want a light smokiness you can do this by placing all on a tray in the Bradley Smoker and Cold-Smoking them with Cherry Bisquettes for 40 minutes. Test the flavour by breaking off a small piece of cheese. Leave longer if you want the flavour to be more pronounced.
Smoked Butternut Squash & Feta Salad
It is best to serve the smoked butternut squash
warm, and if you’re toasting the seeds yourself you can add them to the plate
direct from the skillet too. The mixed seeds add a delightful nutty crunch to
the salad – but you might also like to add crispy bacon too!
Ingredients –
serves 4
diced, smoked Butternut Squash (see above)
Olive Oil for roasting
150g smoked Feta Cheese
50g Wild Rocket Leaves
50g toasted mixed Seeds
2tbsp light Olive Oil
2tsp Balsamic Vinegar
Salt, Pepper
Directions
Preheat
the oven to 220°C
Toss the
diced, smoked squash in enough olive oil to lightly coat it and season
liberally with salt and pepper. Spread over a baking tray and transfer to the
oven to roast for 20 minutes, or until it is tinged with colour and is tender
when probed with the tip of a small, sharp knife.
Remove
from the oven and toss the diced squash in a large bowl together with the light
olive oil and balsamic to dress it. Add the rocket leaves and turn briefly with
your fingers. Divide between 4 plates. Crumble pieces of smoked feta over the
squash and sprinkle with toasted seeds. Serve immediately with warm, crusty
bread.
