Roasted Pumpkin and Feta Cheese Salad

This delicious receipe comes  to us thanks to  Aimee Tinker of Beckenham, UK. Aimee cheffed at Acorn House Restaurant in London - a pioneering environmentally sustainable restaurant which composts or recycles 100% of waste and sources only sustainably farmed and harvested food. Restaurants are often extremely wasteful of resources - so let’s cook at home! On the menu today is a gourmet salad.

Roasted Pumpkin and Feta Cheese Salad

1 whole pumpkin

1 head of garlic

8-10 baby shallots

2-3 bay leaves

2 fresh red chilis (de-seeded)

Olive oil

150g feta cheese

Pumpkin seeds (This dish can be served with a number toppings, such as sunflower seeds, peanuts and pinenuts. Interchange them depending on your preference but remember to toast them to release the full flavour.

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180°c.

2. Chop the pumpkin into eighths and remove the seeds. Peel the tough outer skin from the flesh. (It is easier to peel your pumpkin if you chop it up into more manageable chunks.)

3. Slice the eighths into smaller pieces to make crescent shaped slices.

4. Heat some oil in a flat bottomed frying pan and add the pumpkin. You just want to brown the pumpkin slightly on each, not cook it through. Remove from the heat and place in a bowl.

5. Break up the head of garlic and crush each clove with the back of a knife to release the flavour. Add to the pumpkin pieces.

6. Peel the shallots, keeping them whole, and place them in with the pumpkin.

7. Coat with olive oil, salt and pepper and then transfer to a baking tray. Add the bay leaves and roast in the oven at 180°c for around 30-40 mins.  The pumpkin, garlic and shallots should be just tender.

8. Meanwhile, make the chili oil for dressing the salad. De-seed the chilis, cut into fine strips and then finely dice. Add to olive oil and let sit while the pumpkin is roasting.

9. In a fresh pan, dry roast the seeds or nuts until golden and set aside.

10. When the pumpkin is cooked, remove from the oven and leave to cool.

11. When cooled, place on a serving dish and top with feta cheese, nuts or seeds of your choice and drizzle the chili oil over the top. Parsley is also great chopped up and sprinkled over this dish for added colour, contrast and flavour.