Onion Squash, Sage & Hot Honey Orzo

Heat the oven to 200°C fan.

Cut the squash in half from stem to tip. Scoop out the seeds and set to one side. Keep the skin on the white onion and quarter it through the root. Halve the tomatoes.

Cut each half of the squash into 4-6 wedges and spread over a baking sheet, making sure there’s plenty of space between each piece. Arrange the onion quarters, tomatoes and unpeeled garlic cloves in the gaps, cut-side down, then drizzle with a generous glug of rapeseed oil, turning the squash pieces so they’re glossy. Sprinkle with the chilli flakes and a generous pinch of salt. Roast for 35-45 mins, until the squash are bronzing and blistering at the edges, turning the wedges over after around 25 mins.

Meanwhile, spread the squash seeds over a small baking sheet, using two forks to separate the seeds from the flesh. Don’t worry too much if some are attached or there are still clumps of flesh – it all tastes good. Drizzle with a glug of rapeseed oil, and add a good sprinkle of salt. Roast in the oven for 20-25 mins until golden, shuffling the tray once or twice. When there’s 10 mins left, add the sage leaves to the tray, dragging them through the oil first.

Cook the orzo in salted boiling water for 2 mins less than the packet time (so probably 8 mins), until the chalkiness is just gone, but the grains are not totally swollen. Drain through a sieve and rinse under a cold running tap to cool them down. Mix with a fork to separate the grains then return to the saucepan.

Once the squash pieces are tender and coloured at the edges, transfer half to a blender, along with the tomatoes, onion pieces, garlic and any juices on the tray (remove the skins from the onion and garlic as you do this). Add the butter, a pinch of salt and ⅔ of the stock to the contents of the blender and blitz until it’s a silky smooth sauce.

Add a drizzle of hot honey to the squash pieces, then return to the oven (turning it off at the same time).

Pour the sauce into the orzo pan and set over a low-medium heat to warm through for 2-3 mins. Grate in ⅔ of the Parmesan and squeeze in the lemon juice. The orzo will swell and stiffen but you want something that flows like the loosest risotto, so add more stock if you need to, then check for seasoning before dividing between pasta bowls or plates.

Top with the squash wedges, a grating of Parmesan, the roasted seeds and sage and a really generous drizzle of hot honey.