roast patty pan squash with herb dressing and cobnuts

i should have taken a picture of this squash before i cooked it as i suspect most people will look at the title and go: 'roast WHAT??'. they are the bright yellow relative of courgettes and marrows, shaped a bit like a flying saucer. i got them in my abel&cole box - a great way of acquainting yourself to weird vegetables.

i have to be honest with you - patty pan squash don't taste of very much. they look great but, like a miss world or a supermodel, there's not a lot there once you get past the attractive exterior.

but then, courgettes don't taste of very much either unless you griddle them on a very hot pan and then douse them in good olive oil and chopped chilli. i did think of giving these the same treatment (i have done it in the past) but changed my mind when i stumbled upon a recipe from the chocolate and zucchini blog (http://chocolateandzucchini.com). she makes this with herbed chickpeas, which sounds nice, so this is in effect one half of her recipe.

i have also added the cobnuts just because they needed using up. you can, of course, use other nuts. i think pine nuts would be nice. you could also scatter some fresh, torn mozzarella cheese for a more substantial veggie dish.

i promise you you will not taste the anchovy at all.

ROAST PATTY PAN SQUASH WITH HERB DRESSING AND COBNUTS
for two

2 patty pan squash, cut into wedges
a few chives if you have them - i didn't
a small bunch of coriander
a couple of leaves of mint
1 anchovy in oil, drained (substitute 1 tablespoon rinsed capers if you prefer)
a small pinch cayenne pepper
a little bit of lemon peel (half a strip)
1tsp lemon juice
seasoning
olive oil

put the squash wedges into a roasting tray, drizzle with olive oil and roast at 200C for about 45 minutes. check them after half an hour though - they need to be cooked through but caramelised at the edges.

in the meantime, whizz all the ingredients except oil in a blender, then add the oil slowly until you get the right consistency for a dressing.

serve with the dressing drizzled over the squash.

but then neither do courgettes. i think it's because they are so watery.