Spaghetti Squash & Confit Tomatoes with Tomato Oil Pesto

Heat the oven to 200°C fan. Line a baking sheet with baking paper.

Wash and dry the squash, then use your largest knife to cut it in half, stem to tip. Scoop out the seeds and stringy flesh in the middle (we’re not using these but you could arrange them around the squash when roasting, season and save them for snacking another time).

Drizzle the cut surface of the squash with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, sprinkle with salt, then place cut-side down on the parchment paper. Bake for 35-40 mins, until the juices are seeping out the bottom and you can leave a finger dent in the skin when you press it. Carefully turn the squash over and leave to steam for 5 mins.

While the squash is cooking, arrange the tomatoes in a roasting tin – we want them to snuggly fit, 1-2 layers deep. Cut the garlic bulb in half and nestle the halves among the tomatoes, cut side down. Drizzle with the remaining olive oil, then scatter over the sugar and sea salt. Give the tray a shuffle and roast in the hot oven for 25-30 mins.

When the squash and tomatoes are cooked, remove them from the oven, flip the squash over so it’s cut-side up and set both aside to cool a little.

While you wait, add the basil, Parmesan and pine nuts to a blender or food processor. Squeeze in the flesh from ¾ of the roasted garlic cloves (discarding the skins) and 6 tbsp of the tomato cooking juices. Whizz to a purée, adding a little more olive oil or tomato cooking juices if needed.

Season the squash very generously with salt and black pepper. Scoop a large amount onto each plate, then gently use a fork to scrape, separate and fluff the flesh into spaghetti-like strands. Grate a little extra Parmesan over the top, then ladle confit tomatoes onto the plate, and add a really generous spoonful or two of the basil pesto.