Spring Salad

The Boy is back from a scholarly week oop North and had been virtuously toiling for a great deal more of the morning than is natural for the weekend. A quick, fresh and speedy lunch was required so I threw together some ingredients we had lying around in the fridge and in the larder.

Squash and French Bean salad

You will need: (to feed one famished scholar and a lounging cook)

¼ butternut squash
One baby gem lettuce
½ orange pepper
Fistful of French beans
A few cherry tomatoes
A sprinkle of finely grated parmesan
A touch of nutmeg
Vegetable or olive oil
Salt & pepper

For the dressing:
1 tsp mayonnaise
1 tsp pesto
1 tsp olive oil
2 tsp cider vinegar

- Preheat oven to 190C.
- Peel and cut your butternut squash into cubes around 1.5cm.
- Tip into a bowl and add a generous tablespoon of oil, a sprinkle of parmesan and a pinch of nutmeg.
- Get your hands in! Give the squash an even coating and turn out onto a baking tray.
- Season and pop into the oven for fifteen minutes or until starting to crisp.
- Meanwhile, blanch your beans for a few minutes in boiling water.
- Slice the pepper into strips and half the tomatoes and lettuce leaves.
- Remove your beans from the heat when they start to soften, drain and immerse in cold water (this will stop them cooking, keep them nice and green and prevent them from wilting your lettuce).
- Take the squash from the oven and set aside to cool.
- Mix all of the dressing ingredients together and combine with all of the veggies.