Roast squash, cobnut and cheese salad

A delicious salad for a light evening meal. Fresh cobnuts are so pretty, with their frilly husks wrapped like green overcoats around the pale shells. It’s worth the effort of shelling them: when fresh, the milky white kernels have a mild yet distinctive flavour. If you can’t find fresh cobnuts, you can use any kind of hazelnut instead.

Serves 4

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Approximately 600g red kuri squash, cut into wedges, skin left on

Olive oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

150g shelled cobnuts or hazelnuts, skinned

Mixed green salad leaves

150g mature cheddar (or similar)

For the dressing:

4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon honey

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Preheat the oven to 190˚C (170˚C fan). Arrange the pumpkin wedges on a baking tray lined with baking parchment. Drizzle over a little olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Bake in the oven for about 25 minutes until just tender.

Meanwhile, chop the cobnuts and toast them in a dry frying pan over a low heat until they start to turn golden.

Whisk together the dressing ingredients until smooth, and season to taste.

Arrange the salad leaves and pumpkin slices on 4 serving plates. Thinly slice or pare the cheese into shavings with a vegetable peeler and scatter over the salad. Drizzle over the salad dressing, sprinkle over the toasted nuts, and serve.

• Notes for Esse users

  Electric For best results, keep the steam vent open.
  Wood-fired The oven dial should read between mod and hot.

Recipe from my book Autumn