This recipe is suitable for a medium sized butternut such as the one shown in the photograph. The halved onions solve the age-old braaier’s problem of what to do with that blimmin’ cavity in the butternut. They’re also good as a main event for a vegetarian friend at your braai.

Ingredients

½ butternut per serving

1 onion per whole butternut

1 garlic clove per butternut

Rosemary sprigs

Salt and ground black pepper

Heavy duty tin foil

Optional: cayenne pepper or paprika

Butter or olive oil

Method

Slice the butternuts in half lengthwise, scoop out the pips and discard them.

Cut onion in half through the middle, not from root end to top end.

Tear off generous pieces of heavy foil and oil one side well. Place a half butternut in the middle of it, cut side up.

Finely chop garlic and put some in each butternut cavity. Place a rosemary sprig in each cavity. Push an onion half firmly into each cavity (if the onion half is too big, trim it a bit). Place a small rosemary sprig on each onion half and more sprigs on the exposed yellow butternut flesh. Dot this and the rest of the butternut flesh with butter, or drizzle olive oil over it. Season with salt and pepper. If you want a bit of bite, sprinkle some paprika or cayenne pepper over too. 

Wrap tightly in the foil.

Cook on coals for about half an hour, or in the oven at 200℃ for 30 to 40 minutes, until soft when pierced with a skewer. DM/TGIFood

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