Preheat oven at 200°C.

Slice the butternut squash into thin slices and arrange them onto a tray lined with parchment paper. Brush the butternut squash slices with extra virgin olive oil, then season with a sprinkle of salt and a few grinds of black pepper.

Roast in the oven for about 20 minutes or until soft and caramelized on the edges.

Remove the squash from the oven, let it cool down for about 5 minutes, then reduce into a thick paste with a blender.

Scrape the butternut squash paste into a bowl and add the ground lamb shoulder and a finely chopped onion. Season with salt and a few grinds of black pepper.

Shape the meatballs into clementine-sized balls with the help of an ice-cream scooper: using the spoon you’ll get meatballs of the same size and the procedure will be a lot less messy.

Collect the meatballs in a tray dusted with breadcrumbs and shake the tray to coat the meatballs with the breadcrumbs.

Arrange the meatballs in a tray lined with parchment paper and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. Cook in the hot oven for about 20 minutes, or until golden.

In the meantime prepare the pesto which will be a fresh and minty sauce to serve the meatballs. Blend pistachios, pine nuts and mint leaves together, adding the olive oil until you get a thick and quite smooth pesto.

Serve the meatballs with the pistachio pesto and a salad of shredded cabbage seasoned with extra virgin olive oil, salt and orange juice.