Watch Donal’s Family Kitchen, Wednesdays on RTÉ One at 7:30pm
A rather bougie way of zhuzhing up shop-bought ingredients with fabulous results (most of the ingredients for this recipe can be bunged into a shopping trolley on the way home from work). The whipped goats’ cheese also works well as a dip; add a little cream cheese if you prefer a milder flavour and then top it with oven-roasted cherry tomatoes and pitta chips for dipping.
Ingredients
Serves: 4 Prep: 5 minutes Cook: 40 minutes
1kg squash or butternut squash, cut into wedges
1 whole garlic bulb, cloves separated but left unpeeled
250g pack shop-bought tortellini (such as spinach and ricotta or pumpkin)
25g unsalted butter
Drizzle of runny honey
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/400°F/Gas 6. Put the squash into a roasting tray with the garlic, sage and chilli flakes. Drizzle with the oil and season well, then toss to combine and roast for 40 minutes, turning once, until golden and slightly sticky. Once cooked, squish the garlic out of their skins and mix into the squash mix.
Meanwhile, beat the cheese with the lemon juice and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil with a whisk or in a small food processor until light, fluffy and smooth. Season well and scoop into a bowl. Toast the nuts and set aside.
Cook the tortellini in boiling salted water for 2-7 minutes then drain. Fry the remaining sage leaves in a little olive oil in a frying pan (skillet) until crisp, then scoop onto kitchen paper. Add the butter to the frying pan until it foams and smells nutty, then toss the tortellini in the brown butter.
Divide the whipped cheese between four plates. Top with the buttery tortellini, roasted squash and toasted nuts. Drizzle with honey, scatter with sage leaves and serve.
