Hot chorizo and butternut squash salad

Sometimes supper can be so delicious this recipe is one of those that is so simple but taste as though you have been concocting for hours. I changed it a bit chargrilling the chorizo and using the oil from it to coat the squash .We love chilli so I added more. Lots of fresh squeezed lime juice. I made a leek and sweet potato soup to start .It was a wonderful sunday supper.

This salad is packed full of flavour. Serve it as part of a spread or just as a rich, punchy, deeply satisfying lunch dish.

Serves 4-6
Cooking time: 40 minutes

Ingredients

1 small butternut or onion squash, deseeded and cut roughly into 5cm pieces
1 chile de arbol or other dried chilli, chopped
1 teaspoon cumin seeds, ground
a small handful of oregano or marjoram, chopped (or 1 teaspoon dried) vegetable or olive oil
sea salt and black pepper
2 red onions, roughly sliced
a small punnet of baby tomatoes
a small bunch of coriander, leaves, chopped
3-4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 large chorizo cooking sausages, casings removed and sausages bias cut into long rounds
150g cooked borlotti or pinto beans
a small bag of baby spinach
100g Pecorino cheese

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F/gas 5.
2. Put the squash, chilli, cumin and oregano in a roasting dish with enough oil to coat lightly, and season well with salt and pepper. Roast for about 15 minutes before adding the onion slices, turning to coat them in the oil. Roast for a further 10 minutes before adding the baby tomatoes and cooking for a final 10 minutes. Or, if you are in a hurry, you can just put everything together. 
3. Meanwhile, pound the coriander leaves in a pestle and mortar with a pinch of salt until you have a green paste. Cover with the extra virgin olive oil and set aside. 
4. Heat a griddle or frying pan over a medium to high heat and fry the chorizo for 2 to 3 minutes a side. Drain on kitchen paper.
5. Gently mix the roasted vegetables and beans together in a large bowl with a tablespoon of the coriander oil and the spinach leaves.
6. Divide the salad among four to six plates, adding pieces of the grilled chorizo. With a potato peeler, shave the Pecorino on top and drizzle with the coriander oil.

Recipes from Mexican Food Made Simple by Thomasina Miers © Thomasina Miers 2010, published by Hodder & Stoughton