Winter Pumpkin and Fig Salad
Serves 2 large plates or 4 small
This gorgeous plate of soft pumpkin and squash with hidden sweet figs, nestled under the crispy sage leaves and crunchy pumpkin seeds, reminds me so much of autumn. Fallen leaves that cover the woodland floor, autumnal colours of orange and dark green, this plate not only delicious, its also a feast for your eyes!
Ingredients:
1 small pumpkin
1 butternut squash
8 figs
1/2 a cup of pumpkin seeds
2 tbsp of cider vinegar
1 tbsp of honey or agave
20 sage leaves
salt
olive oil
edible flowers (optional)
Method
Step 1: Prep pumpkin and squash
Cut your pumpkin and squash in half then *scoop out the inside. Leaving the skin on, cut them into abstract shapes, around the same size. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt then cover with foil and bake at 180oC for 40 minutes. After 40 minutes, remove the foil and turn down the oven to 150oC, bake for a further 20 minutes, until concentrated and sticky.
*you can keep the seeds from your pumpkin, dry them and toast them for a tasty snack!
Step 2: toast pumpkin seeds
Place 1/2 a cup of pumpkin seeds onto a baking tray with 1/2 a tbsp of olive oil, 1 tbsp of honey and 1/2 tsp of fine salt. Mix together and bake in the oven for 10 minutes.
*set a 5 minute timer on your pumpkin seeds, as depending on your oven the seeds could take longer or shorter, you want them to be slightly golden in colour.
Step 3: Caramelise figs
Wash and cut your figs in half, heat a drizzle of olive oil in a frying pan then sprinkle over a good pinch of salt and lay your figs cut side down. When the figs have a good char on them turn the heat off.
Step 4: Fry sage
Place 2 tbsp of oil into a small pan and turn on the heat to high. When the oil has changed viscosity and become like ‘water’, its hot enough. Quickly tip in your sage leaves, whilst continuously moving the pan to insure the sage gets evenly coated in oil and therefore evenly fried. When your sage has become darker in colour and just before lit starts to brown, remove the sage from the *oil by pouring the contents of the pan, into a sieve placed over a bowl. Place your sage on a clean tea towel or kitchen paper to absorb any excess oil and season with fine salt.
*Do not throw out this oil! Oil that you fry herbs in, becomes flavoured with gorgeous aroma of the herbs. Store it in a bottle and toss it through your salad leaves!
Step 5: Plate up
Nestle together your soft pumpkin and squash with your sweet figs, a crunchy scattering of your pumpkin seeds and sage leaves. I also topped mine with foraged edible flowers and sorrel leaves but that is not necessary at all!
