We know this page can get a little meat-heavy, but we actually eat a HUGE amount of veggies on the BBQ - they're just normally a little bit too plain to make it to the website!
But after a visit to Pasture Birmingham I swore to myself I'd make more of an effort with side dishes... seriously, it's unusual for a steak restaurant to stand out for it's veggie sides, but Pasture's are on another level!
This one started as a bit of a fridge-raid but after a couple of iterations, I'm super happy with it - it's super easy, super tasty and super healthy!
Serves: 2 as a main (approx. 850 calories), or 4 as a side
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 60 minutes (plus firelighting)
Serving suggestions: we eat this alone as a midweek meal, but it works beautifully alongside any meat cooked on the bBQ
Ingredients
1 large butternut squash
1 tsp cold pressed rapeseed oil
1 tin chickpeas
2 tbsp harissa paste
150g natural yoghurt
2 tbsp Tahini
Sea salt
Fresh lemon juice
50g feta cheese
20g pine nuts
20g pumpkin seeds
Fresh flat leaf parsley
Method
Fire up your BBQ for indirect smoking at 200ºC, using a single chunk of a light smoking wood such as apple or cherry.
Take the top off your squash and slice lengthways down the middle.
Scoop out the seeds and score through the flesh down to the skin in a cross-hatch pattern.
Add about half a teaspoon of rapeseed oil to each half, allow it to work down into the slits you've just made then add a generous pinch of salt to each half.
Roast your butternut squash halves indirect for 45-60 minutes.
Squash is cooked but still holds its shape around 90-92ºC internal temperature, but don't worry if you shoot over - it doesn't ruin, the end result will just be softer the longer it cooks for.
If you're short of time, you can cube the butternut squash to speed up cooking, or slice it and grill directly over charcoal, which will give an end result with more char but no smoke.
While the squash roasts, you can get everything else ready.
Mix your natural yoghurt, tahini, a pinch of salt and the juice of an eighth of a lemon, taste, and add more salt & lemon if required.
Toast your pine nuts and pumpkin seeds in a dry pan, making sure not to burn.
When your squash is close to cooked, empty the whole contents of the tin of chickpeas into a pan and cook gently for 4-5 minutes. Drain, add the harissa paste, a pinch of salt and a small squeeze of lemon juice, taste, and add more salt or lemon as required - more of either will lift the flavour of the harissa if needed. Pop a lid on the pan and they should say warm while you bring the dish together.
When the squash is cooked, remove it from the BBQ. We prefer to eat squash without the skin, so I scoop out the flesh and throw the skins away - but if you like the skin, simply chop the squash up and set to the side.
If serving as a main meal, spread your tahini yoghurt on your plate, then pile up your squash and add your harissa chickpeas on top. If serving as a side dish, I prefer to use the yoghurt as an additional garnish, adding it after the chickpeas.
Garnish with crumbled feta, followed by your toasted seeds & nuts and a scattering of chopped fresh parsley.
Sustainable BBQ Fuel
If you aren't sure which charcoal or smoking wood to buy, just send us an email on info@love-logs.com and we'll do our best to help!
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