Roasted Pumpkin with Feta & Caper Dressing
Introduction
Serves: 4
Ingredients
Olive oil
Flaky sea salt & freshly ground black pepper
1 Tbsp capers
1 large clove garlic, peeled and crushed
3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp red wine vinegar
200g (7 oz) creamy-style feta
Handful of salad leaves and herbs (a mix of your favourite leaves plus herbs such as rocket/arugula, chives, mint, parsley), washed and spun dry
Method
1 Preheat oven to 200°C (400°F). Cut pumpkin into small wedges, remove seeds and soft pith, but leave the skin on (it is delicious roasted). Rub wedges with a little oil and arrange in one layer in a shallow baking tray (line the tray with baking/parchment paper if liked). Season with salt and pepper and roast pumpkin for 10 minutes. Remove from oven, carefully turn slices over and return to oven for a further 7 minutes, until browning and becoming tender. Remove pumpkin from oven and increase temperature to 210°C (410°F).
2 Drain feta, pat dry with paper towels and slice thickly. Put feta slices on top of pumpkin – this is not a calculated slice-per-slice, just lay the feta where it fits. Return tray to the oven and cook for a further 5-7 minutes, until the feta has softened and is starting to melt and is just starting to colour. Remove from oven and cool briefly.
3 Drain capers, pat dry with paper towels and chop finely. Put capers and garlic in a bowl and whisk with extra virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar and 1 teaspoon of flaky sea salt (if using ‘regular’ salt, use much less – about half).
4 Arrange salad leaves on plates and stack with pumpkin and feta. Re-whisk dressing and drizzle over pumpkin and feta. Serve immediately.
Recipe Notes
Serves 4 for lunch or 3 for dinner, though you might like to add some extras to make it more substantial (crusty bread and more salad leaves for a starter). Or top it with roasted broccoli, broccolini or cauliflower and a sprinkle of dukkah, or a handful of fried salted pumpkin seeds, pine nuts or walnuts.