What sort of squash should I use in this recipe?

Any squash or pumpkin will work in this recipe, though I encourage you to use an heirloom variety. They not only have more interesting flavours, but unlike butternut squash many of them have skins that are not just edible, but downright delicious when roasted and keeping the skin on will really help the visual impact of the finished dish: I used a small Crown Prince squash here so I could keep the green skin on.

Does it matter what sort of bean I use here?

I've tested this recipe with both jarred butter beans and regular white beans and both were delicious so use whatever you have to hand at the best price - but jarred is important here to get a really silky puree.

Roasted Squash with Salsa Verde & White Bean Puree

Description

This easy, make-ahead friendly recipe for Roasted Squash with Pickled Walnut Salsa Verde & White Bean Puree makes the perfect vegan centrepiece for a festive feast – it is also as delicious served at room temperature as it is hot or warm.

Ingredients

Scale

For the Roasted Squash

600g squash wedges (I used Crown Prince)
1 tbsp light oil
salt

For the White Bean Puree

1 x 325g jar white beans or 1/2 x 700g jar
1 small garlic clove
1/2 tbsp fresh lemon juice (from approx. 1/4 lemon)
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
salt, to taste

For the Pickled Walnut Salsa Verde

small handful flat leaf parsley
small handful fresh mint leaves
25g pistachios
1 red chilli
1 pickled walnut
4 1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tbsp fresh lemon juice (from approx. 1/4 lemon)
1/2 tsp maple syrup
sea salt

Instructions

Pre-heat the oven to 200C and line a large roasting tray with baking parchment. Toss the squash wedges together with the oil and a generous amount of salt, and spread them out across the tray. Roast for 40-50 minutes, turning them over halfway, until they’re tender, the skin (if still attached) is soft and wrinkled, and the edges of the squash or pumpkin pieces have started to caramelise.
While the squash is roasting, make the white bean puree. To a high speed blender or food processor, add all the ingredients except for the salt, reserving the bean stock from the jar of beans. Blitz until smooth, adding splashes of bean stock to thin the puree out until it is just swirl-able with the back of a spoon. Add salt to taste: how much you need will depend on how much was already in the jar of beans.
To make the pickled walnut salsa verde, finely chop the herbs and the pistachios, combining them all in a small bowl. De-seed and finely chop the chilli, adding it to the bowl along with the pickled walnut, also finely chopped. Stir in the olive oil, lemon juice, maple syrup and a generous pinch of salt.
To assemble, swirl the bean puree across the bottom of a large serving platter, and arrange the squash on top. Drizzle over the salsa verde, and serve.

Notes

Choose an heirloom variety of squash or pumpkin with edible skins, and jarred beans as they provide a better flavour and smoother texture than the canned variety in this recipe.