Indulge your taste buds with the perfect balance of smoky char from the grill, the delicate sweetness of pattypan squash, and the rich, creamy notes of blue cheese. A side dish recipe for all occasions!
In a mixing bowl, coat with olive oil and add salt and pepper to taste.
Preheat grill pan or plate. Grill the pattypan squash, 3-5 minutes on all sides. For even grill marks, leave them undisturbed until it is time to flip them to the other side.
In a frying pan, toast pine nuts until lightly browned.
Roughly chop the flat leaf parsley.
On a plate, place the grilled pattypan squash to one side. Crumble blue cheese on top and sprinkle toasted pine nuts and chopped parsley.
Serve.
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Notes
If you can’t get Stilton, try and get Spanish Cabrales or piccante gorgonzola. Both these 2 types of blue cheese are nice and crumbly.
A lightly toasted sprinkle of nuts on top of this pattypan squash recipe is a must. It helps to add some crunch and roasted nutty flavours to the recipe. You can substitute pine nuts with almonds, pistachios, or peanuts. Give them a bit of toast and chop them up.
To make this a nut free squash side dish, you can use pepitas, pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds. Again, give them a bit of a light toast on the frying pan.
To yield the best-looking grill marks on the pattypan squash, ensure it is well coated with olive oil or garlic butter. Preheat the grill pan and then place the patty pan squash and leave it undisturbed for 3-5 minutes, depending on the size. Allow the heat to scorch the flesh. Flip to the other side after this time. Don’t keep tossing them, moving them or flipping them. This will result in an uneven cook, and the multiple grill marks will just make the flesh turn brown.
Don’t grill the pattypan squash for too long, as it will be too soft and mushy.
Bring the blue cheese to room temperature before crumbling it over the grilled pattypan squash. This allows for a more even temperature across the side dish. Cold cheese on top of warm pattypan squash won’t be as palatable.
This side dish is best served straight away. The blue cheese will eventually melt over the warm pattypan squash which could leave its appearance less appealing.