A SALAD FOR ALL SEASONS - Harry Eastwood

I love a good salad. It doesn't matter if it's on the beach in the Mediterranean or at home in London in the middle of the winter. Sometimes the freshness of a good salad is all I really crave. Salads are so versatile - they can be warm or cold and can include pretty much whichever ingredients you choose to put in them. Harry Eastwood came to our tv screens about 8 years ago with Cook Yourself Thin and now she's back with her new book A Salad For All Seasons. I got sent a copy to have a look at and I really like it - it's a great book full of delicious sounding salad recipes to follow, but it's also a really good source of inspiration if you've got some salad leaves at home and want to make something with whatever you've got in the fridge. Particular salad recipes that I'm looking forward to making from the book are hot smoked salmon, edamame and cucumber with a wasabi cream dressing; iceberg wedge with blue cheese and bacon (which I think will be even better if I griddle the iceberg wedge); southern salad with root beer brisket; and pan fried bananas with rum butterscotch.

Today though it was Harry's Squash salad with pomegranate and prosciutto that really caught my eye. I didn't follow the recipe as it was, so here's what I did, and to see Harry's version get her book here.

Serves 2

1 butternut squash
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp nigella seeds
100g prosciutto (I used pata negra iberica, which is pricey buy truly wonderful)
1 avocado
Juice of 1 lemon
1-2 tbsp olive oil
Handful of lamb's lettuce - you can use the Florette duo of lamb's lettuce and wild rocket
1 tbsp capers
1 egg

Preheat the oven to 200C.

Peel the butternut squash and chop into 1.5cm chunks. Toss is the olive oil and sprinkle with nigella seeds and a little salt. Lay the chunks of butternut squash in one layer on a baking tray and roast for around 30 minutes, turning once during cooking.

Puree the avocado, lemon juice and olive oil in with the magi mix or in the blender, until a smooth paste. Swipe some of the avocado on the plate, and top with the washed lamb's lettuce. Put the butternut squash chunks on the plate and add curls of the prosciutto. Sprinkle with capers.

Poach or boil an egg until soft cooked (5 and a half minutes for boiled). Cut the egg in half and place on top of the salad.