Roasted Pumpkin Salad With Goat's Cheese And Pecan Nuts
Roasted pumpkin salad is nothing new but, knowing how to make it properly certainly is by the looks of google results. If you make this simple autumn salad as I show you, you will have a best friend forever. Served at lunch or dinner any day you fancy for as many friends and family you like.While you're at it, you might as well make this delicious pumpkin bread or pumpkin cake with pumpkin cream cheese for dessert too.
50g(3 ⅓tablespoon)pan juice dressing - see instructions in post
30g(½bunch)salad leaves of your choice
Instructions
Roasting the pecans and making the goat's cheese cream
Roast at 160C for about 8 minutes. Take care not to burn them.
Once done, let them cool down before using.
Simply mix the soft goat's cheese or curd with a touch of water, milk or cream.
Season with a bit of salt and pepper and stir until the mix is homogenous, smooth and the consistency of drinking yoghurt.
Roasting the pumpkin
Turn your oven to 220C and line a roasting tray with parchment.
Cut the pumpkin into wedges and make the marinade. The skin will be tender when cooked if the pumpkin is young. Apart from decorative type little pumpkins. Their skins will be like leather. Advised not to use as they lack flavour and texture too.
Place everything onto the tray and cover tightly with aluminium foil.
Roast for about 15 to 20 minutes depending on the size of your pumpkin and how your oven cooks. The pumpkin should be tender but not mushy.
Remove the pumpkin from the roasting tray and set aside.
You need the roasting juices left in the pan for the following step.
Making the dressing
Collect the pan juices left over from roasting the pumpkin and discard the hard rosemary stalks but keep the garlic and tender rosemary leaves.
Pour the liquid into a blender and blend until smooth.
Reserve until needed.
Making the Balsamic reduction (or Buy it)
Place all the ingredients into a suitably sized saucepan.
Reduce down slowly by exactly 55%.
Meaning that if you start with a weight of 887g in the pot. You need to remove it from the stove when the weight of the contents reach 400G. Kitchen scales are a must.
Cooldown before using or storing for later use.
Putting it all together
Dress the salad and pumpkin with the pan juice dressing.
Start layering the salad by alternating ingredients.
Serve straight away.
Notes
Make sure the pumpkin has chilled down a bit to not wilt the leaves
If you are making ahead keep the dressings separate.
Can be stored in the fridge for 2 days sealed airtight
You can use other types of creamy cheese instead of goat's cheese.