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COPYRIGHT © 2024 | NUMBER 8 COOKING | ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Privacy Policy | Terms and Conditions | Disclosure Statement | License Policy
COPYRIGHT © 2024 | NUMBER 8 COOKING | ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Privacy Policy | Terms and Conditions | Disclosure Statement | License Policy
COPYRIGHT © 2024 | NUMBER 8 COOKING | ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
This salad with roasted pumpkin, cherry tomatoes, mild chili peppers, and fresh herbs from my garden is a delicious and healthy way to enjoy these amazing ingredients.
Pumpkin, cherry tomatoes, and chili peppers are 3 ingredients I love! They all have countless varieties and diverse flavor profiles. I love cooking and eating them.
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Whether served as a side dish, appetizer, or main course, this exciting, flavorful, and colorful salad is sure to be a hit with all types of eaters. So, read on to find out how to roast the perfect pumpkin and make this delicious salad.
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Pumpkins are at their best in mid-to-late summer in New Zealand. However, they are available all year round thanks to imported varieties.
I’m using orange buttercup pumpkins that are grown by my friend Snow. I have been lucky enough to get some of these amazing pumpkins.
One of the great things about this salad with roasted pumpkin is that it is extremely versatile. You can add a variety of different ingredients to suit your taste, such as other roasted root vegetables, grilled halloumi cheese, zucchini, or even grains like quinoa, or even chickpeas.
I’m keeping the roasted pumpkin salad fairly simple so the star of the dish can shine. I only used 3 main ingredients orange buttercup pumpkin (the star), cherry tomatoes, and Anaheim chili peppers that I grew myself.
How to season food is an art that combines creativity, intuition, and a deep understanding of flavors. That transforms ordinary ingredients into extraordinary culinary masterpieces.
I’m also using fresh herbs from my garden, English mint, French thyme, upright rosemary, and culinary sage. We are lucky to have these fresh organic ingredients that are freshly picked.
Roasting pumpkin sounds simple, however, there are a couple of rules you will need to follow. The last thing you want is a wet soggy roast pumpkin that will fall apart when you try and mix it into a salad.
Chefs Pro Tip — Mix the salt, pepper, and paprika together this will ensure an even spread of the seasoning on the pumpkin. Place them into a bowl, and toss them around in the bowl so the seasoning and oil evenly coat the pumpkin.
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When the pumpkin is cooked it will be slightly soft to the touch. Remove from the oven and let stand for 5 minutes the residual heat will help keep the pumpkin from going soggy.
Crowding the baking tray or piling the pumpkin wedges on top of each other will make them sweat when cooking. This will make your pumpkin soggy and mushy.
Chefs Tip: Spreading the pumpkin wedges out on the baking tray will let the hot dry air from the oven flow between them. This will help to keep the pumpkin dry so it won’t become soggy.
Anaheim peppers grow like crazy in our garden, they are mild chili peppers that have lots of flavor. I’ve found they are great in salads and add texture and flavor, with a hint of heat.
Chefs Pro Tip — Seasoning the cherry tomatoes and chili peppers and setting them aside for 15 minutes will draw out some of the moisture and intensify their flavor. It will also leave moisture and access avocado oil in the bottom of the bowl, this is excellent for use as part of the dressing.
Plating your salad with roasted pumpkin is easy. First, wash and dry the fresh herbs and remove them from their stalks. (keep the stalks you can use them to make vegetable stock).
Remove the cherry tomatoes and sliced chili peppers into a new bowl. There will be liquid in the bottom of the bowl they were in.
Don’t discard it, this is tomato and chili water with some leftover avocado oil. This is excellent to use as a dressing for the salad. You can whisk in another 2 tablespoons of avocado oil, and you won’t need to season it.
Place some of the pumpkin wedges onto a plate, and drizzle over some of the dressing. Spoon on some of the tomato and chili peppers. Garnish with fresh herbs.
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Cooking is a science and a skill that requires a deep understanding of both the technical and creative aspects. Cooking is also a matter of precise measurements and ratios.
For example, baking is particularly sensitive to accurate measurements and temperatures. A slight deviation in the amount of an ingredient or cooking degrees can result in a completely different outcome. So, to help you here is a handy little unit converter tool for cooking without guesswork.
DISH SUMMARY
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