Salad of avocado, little gem lettuce, butternut squash and walnuts

Salads don’t have to be garnishes, sides or starters. Once a week I always have a big plate of salad as a main and nothing else. This one will fill you up big time.

 INGREDIENTS

• 1 small butternut squash (total weight about 500g/13oz), cut into cubes

• a good drizzle of extra virgin olive oil

• 2 heads little gem lettuce, leaves separated

• 2 avocados, peeled, stoned and cut into chunks

• 100g (heaped 1 cup) walnut halves

• a few fresh coriander (cilantro) leaves, to garnish

• salt

  FOR THE MAYONNAISE

• zest and juice of 1 lemon

• 1 tbsp whisky

• 1 tbsp honey

• 1 tsp salt

• 50ml (31/2 tbsp) extra virgin olive oil

1. Preheat the oven to 150˚C/300˚F/gas 2 and line a baking tray.

2. Rub the butternut squash in the olive oil and some salt, spread out on the baking tray and bake for 30 minutes. Leave to cool.

3. Combine the lemon zest and juice, whisky, honey and salt for the vinaigrette in a small bowl and whisk for 1 minute. Slowly pour in the olive oil in a thin, steady stream, continuing to whisk until the vinaigrette has emulsified.

4. Place the cooled butternut squash, the lettuce, avocado and two thirds of the walnut halves into a salad bowl and mix to combine. Roughly chop the rest of the walnuts and sprinkle over the salad. Drizzle with the vinaigrette and garnish with the coriander leaves to serve.