Beautiful Butternut Squash

I really like butternut squash, but I do not like preparing it. It's hard to peel, and can be quite hard to chop. But I think the end result is very, very worth it. I have some delicious butternut squash recipes up my sleeve, including Butternut Squash and Blue Cheese Pasta, and Butternut and Nut Butter Soup. Both of which I would happily eat for breakfast, lunch and tea. But today, I toned it down a little, and simply roasted it, with some honey, oil and seasoning.

The squash just prior to being roasted. Don't worry, I'm not eating all that; there is two portions there!

After being roasted. It doesn't look that much different, apart from being a slightly more mellow yellow than bright orange.

I served it with some ciabatta I had leftover from my Green Goddess sandwich (which I am upset that I forgot to photograph, as it was yummy!).

For the last few minutes of the squash's cooking time, I popped the ciabatta in the oven on the shelf below it, just to warm it through. I don't know exactly how long it was in there, but it was just the right amount of time, as the edges and 'crust' were just going crispy, but the inside was just soft and pillowy and warm. There was a lovely smell in the kitchen whilst cooking this, a kind of sweet roast vegetable smell mingling with baking bread. I defy anyone not to find that smell amazing.

Some of the squash I ate on it's own, some I smooshed into the ciabatta like in the photo above, and some I made into teeny little sandwiches like this one. This was a really nice way to eat it, I'm glad I discovered it. Even though it might seem childish to play with food, sometimes you have to give things a little go.

Whoops, this one fell apart!