This week's new recipe is a roasted pumpkin salad with bitter radicchio, creamy blue cheese, honey-spiced walnuts, and topped with fresh chives and orange zest. It’s a delicious combination of textures and flavours: sweet, salty, soft, and crunchy - and also quite beautiful, those colours!
The recipe comes together quite quickly. The longest time is spent waiting for the pumpkin to roast. If you are strapped for time, you could simply chop the pumpkin into smaller pieces (1-2 inch chunks) and bake for 30-40 minutes.
This dish is perfect as a side, served cold as a salad, or even as just a light meal. It can also easily be made vegan or dairy-free with a vegan cheese alternative. I personally love bitter flavours, so I love radicchio, but feel free to substitute with Tuscan kale or cos lettuce.
Enjoy the recipe!
Ingredients
Vegetarian 
20 minutes preparation time + 1 hour 35 minutes cooking time 
4-6 Roasted Pumpkin
- 1kg Japanese pumpkin (kabocha squash), cut into 10 large wedges
- 1 tablespoon smokey paprika
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Pinch of sea salt
Honey Toasted Walnuts
- 1/2 cup walnuts, roughly chopped
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Pinch of Aleppo pepper or chili flakes
- Pinch of sea salt
Dressing
- 5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon honey
- Zest of 1/2 orange (fresh)
- 4 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Pinch of sea salt
Salad
- 1 small radicchio, leaves separated
- 80g blue cheese or goat cheese, crumbled or sliced
- 1 small bunch of chives, finely chopped
- Zest of 1/2 orange and/or lemon (fresh)
- Pinch of flaky sea salt
- Freshly cracked black pepper
Method
- Preheat your oven to 180°C/350°F.
- Arrange the pumpkin pieces onto a paper-lined baking tray.
- Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with smoked paprika and a pinch of sea salt.
- Using your hands, massage the oil and spices into the pumpkin.
- Bake for approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes or until tender and golden brown. Remove from the oven and set aside.
While the pumpkin is roasting, prepare the Honey Toasted Walnuts:
- In a medium saucepan, combine 1 tablespoon honey, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/2 cup walnuts, Aleppo pepper or chili flakes, and a pinch of sea salt.
- Place over medium heat and stir continuously until the honey melts and coats the walnuts, about 2-3 minutes.
- Transfer the coated walnuts to a piece of baking paper to cool.
Prepare the Dressing:
- In the same unwashed saucepan (still warm), combine extra virgin olive oil, honey, orange zest, apple cider vinegar, ground cinnamon, and a pinch of sea salt.
- Whisk over low heat until the dressing is well combined. Set aside for serving.
Assemble the Salad:
- On a serving plate, arrange the radicchio leaves.
- Top with the warm roasted pumpkin wedges and crumbled or sliced blue cheese or goat cheese.
- Scatter the honey toasted walnuts and chopped chives over the salad.
- Drizzle the warm honey dressing generously over the salad.
- Finish with a sprinkle of sea salt flakes, freshly cracked black pepper, and fresh orange and/or lemon zest.
- Serve immediately and enjoy!
NOTES
- Japanese pumpkin (kabocha squash) is recommended for its sweet flavour and firm texture when roasted. However, you can use other varieties of pumpkin or squash based on availability and personal preference.
- Ensure to cut the pumpkin into uniform wedges for even cooking. You can peel the pumpkin before roasting, or if using organic pumpkins with edible skin, you may choose to leave the skin on for added texture.
- If allergic to walnuts or prefer a different nut flavour, you can substitute walnuts with almonds, pecans, or hazelnuts in the honey toasted nut mixture.
- While the recipe suggests blue cheese or goat cheese, you can use other cheeses such as feta, Parmesan shavings, or vegan cheese alternatives based on dietary preferences.
- Shake or whisk the dressing ingredients well to ensure proper emulsification. Adjust honey or vinegar to balance the sweetness and acidity according to taste.
