Butternut squash Baba Ghanoush with Fattoush salad

I had this phenomenal experience at a kinda hidden Argentinian restaurant in beautiful Praia do Rosa (southern Brazil). It’s a real surfer city – one of those places where everything is closed until the evening because everyone is out surfing, hiking or sleeping.

We walked by several nice looking restaurants – but this small one on the corner called us somehow with the specific details of the interior and the open kitchen. Only two people were working – obviously the owners. And they took the time to explain the whole primarily vegetarian menu (which was handwritten the same day).

We tried almost everything and I have to say – this is some of the most creative and mindblowing food I have ever tasted.

One of my favorites was a butternut squash Baba Ghanoush. I tried making it tonight with a classic Fattoush salad – and it was amazing! Something about these ingredients that just go so well together. Hope you enjoy it.

Ingredients Baba Ghanoush

• 1 big butternut squash
• 2 crushed garlic cloves
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon orange peel (organic)
• Juice of 1/2 orange
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon ginger powder
• 1 handful mint leaves
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Nuts of your liking for topping (I like peanuts or walnuts)

Ingredients Fattoush salad

• 10 cherry tomatoes
• 1 cucumber
• 1 handful mint leaves
• 1 handful fresh parsley
• 1 handful fresh cilantro
• 2 radishes
• 1 onion
• 1 teaspoon crushed garlic
• 3 pita bread
• 1 cup sunflower oil
• 3 big romain salad leaves
• 1/2 orange
• 1/2 lemon
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon sumac
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 2 tablespoon white vine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon maple syrup

Cook

1. Cut the butternut squash in half and bake it in the oven until your able to mash it
2. Blend the rest of the Baba Ghanoush ingredients together with the butternut squash and taste with salt, pepper and orange.
3. Cut tomatoes, cucumber, mint, parsley, cilantro, radishes, salad and onion for the Fattoush salad
4. Cut pita bread in small pieces and fry in sunflower oil until crisp – leave them on a paper towel to drip off – then add to the salad
5. Mix orange juice, lemon juice, olive oil, white vine vinegar, maple syrup, cumin, sumac and garlic for the salad dressing
6. Heat up a few more pita bread to use as spoons for the Baba Ghanoush. 🙂

Love, Nikoline