Mark Hix’s Recipe For Roast Pumpkin And Pickled Walnut Salad

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I effort to turn a fewer varieties of squash each season, but successful nan past mates of years nan results person much aliases little grounded me. I primitively put that down to nan deficiency of clip and attraction I’d fixed those mediocre plants, but I’m now starting to wonderment if nan ungraded successful my raised plot beds overlooking Lyme Bay successful Dorset is really correct for them.

I’m not giving up conscionable yet, though, and this twelvemonth I’ll beryllium trying different varieties successful a different furniture that I’ve prepared and composted complete nan wintertime pinch seaweed mulch. As luck would person it, however, my friend Rob Corbett came to nan rescue a mates of weeks agone by giving maine respective specimens erstwhile he delivered immoderate vino from his Castlewood vineyard a fewer miles distant successful eastbound Devon. If you cognize your gourds moreover a little, you will besides cognize that squashes support for months, which is handy, because they ideally request to cure and ripen earlier use. Happily, that besides intends you tin usage your harvest passim nan agelong wintertime months.

I suppose that erstwhile you turn your ain squashes and pumpkins, you perchance get stuck for what to do pinch them, but nan possibilities are almost endless – for example, I precocious made a cheesecake topped pinch a saccharine squash relish, arsenic good arsenic a cocoa and pumpkin pastry that’s a spot much appealing than nan classical American version; I moreover made a squash cocktail pinch a new, Kentish type of nan classical Italian walnut liqueur, nocino, made by Pleasant Land Distillery successful Aldington, conscionable extracurricular Ashford. As nan base, I utilized immoderate of nan skins, seeds and trimmings near complete from making a squash risotto, and added immoderate mezcal to nan mix, excessively – arsenic overseas arsenic that mightiness sound, it was really rather delicious.

Buying a squash tin beryllium a small daunting, particularly to nan uninitiated, because immoderate of nan bully orangish ones, specified arsenic crown prince and sunshine, are often immense and heavy, and decidedly won’t fresh into your shopping basket. I fishy that’s why truthful galore shops and supermarkets waste chiefly butternut, which is benignant of nan size of a ample swede and will easy spell successful a shopping bag. Mediterranean and Turkish supermarkets person nan correct idea, though, because they often waste those bully large squashes successful manageable, ready-cut wedges, an added prize of which is that you tin easy spot what nan soma is for illustration wrong – not to mention really overmuch tegument and seeds you’re being expected to salary for.

I’ve utilized a adjacent magnitude of squash successful today’s look for a colourful wintertime salad, some roasted and shaved, which brings a beautiful opposition successful textures and flavours to proceedings. I utilized crown prince, because I had 1 that was ripe and fresh to go, but immoderate ripe, orange-fleshed squash, aliases a substance of squashes, would activity well.

If you like, apical nan crockery pinch a scattering of toasted reserved pumpkin seeds, aliases moreover chop immoderate up and adhd them to nan dressing for a spot of other crunch.

Roast pumpkin and pickled walnut salad

Serves 4 arsenic a side

2 tbsp rapeseed oil, aliases oliva oil
400g ripe, orange squash flesh (crown prince, sunshine aliases butternut), peeled and deseeded
Salt and achromatic pepper
A mates of handfuls mini crockery leaves
, washed and dried
A fewer sprigs of caller tarragon, leaves picked (optional)
4 pickled walnuts, drained (save nan liquid) and trim into 1cm dice

For nan dressing
1 tbsp cider vinegar
1 tbsp pickled walnut liquor from nan jar
3-4 tbsp rapeseed oil
, aliases pumpkin seed oil
Toasted pumpkin seeds, full aliases chopped, to decorativeness (optional)

Heat nan oven to 200C (180C fan)/390F/gas 6. Put nan lipid connected a roasting tray and instrumentality it successful nan oven to power up. With a rootlike peeler aliases connected a mandoline, shave a 3rd of nan squash soma into ribbons, put them successful a vessel of iced h2o and put successful nan fridge until needed – they will curl up a small while chilling.

Cut nan remainder of nan squash into wedges aliases unsmooth chunks. Season nan squash chunks, past cautiously flip them successful nan basking lipid and roast for astir 30 minutes, turning erstwhile halfway, until tender and lightly coloured each over.

Meanwhile, drain and barren nan shaved squash, past operation pinch nan crockery leaves, tarragon and pickled walnuts. In a mini bowl, whisk each nan ingredients for nan dressing pinch immoderate leftover lipid from nan squash roasting tray, past play to taste.

Arrange everything successful a ample vessel aliases plate, aliases connected individual plates, past spoon complete nan dressing and serve, possibly topped pinch a fewer toasted pumpkin seeds.

  • Mark Hix is simply a restaurateur and writer based successful Lyme Regis, Dorset. His latest limited-edition book, Fishy Tales, pinch illustrations by Nettie Wakefield, is published astatine £90.

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