It's time to spice up your life with Katrina Meynink's harissa maple-roasted pumpkin, halloumi and burghul salad. Straight from her latest cookbook Salt To Jam, this fool-proof salad packs a punch with flavour, texture and colour, and is sure to get your dinner party started.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 600 g (1 lb 5 oz) Japanese or Kent pumpkin (winter squash), deseeded and cut into large chunks
- 3 tablespoons maple syrup
- 4–6 tablespoons Harissa (see below)
- 175 g (6 oz/1 cup) burghul (bulgur wheat)
- 375 ml (12. fl oz/1. cups) vegetable stock
- 250 g (9 oz/1 cup) Greek yoghurt
- 1/2 cup coarsely torn mint leaves
- 1/2 cup basil leaves
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3–4 slices halloumi
Harissa
To make 280 g (10 oz/1 cup)
- 7 dried guajillo chillies
- 1 red chilli, chopped
- 125 ml (4 fl oz/. cup) grapeseed oil (or other flavourless oil)
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 ½ tbsp each cumin seeds and coriander seeds, toasted in a dry pan until fragrant, roughly ground
- 1/4 preserved lemon, pith removed, skin diced
- 2 tsp sweet smoked paprika
- 2 tsp tomato paste (concentrated purée)
- Pinch of sugar
- Pinch of caraway seeds
Method
Harissa
- To make the harissa, bring a large pot of water to the boil. Add the dried chillies, reduce the heat to medium–low and gently simmer to rehydrate the chillies, about 20 minutes. Drain, then when cool enough to handle, remove and discard the stems. Make sure to drain any water that may be trapped inside the chillies.
- Add the chillies with the remaining ingredients to a blender and blitz until you get a smooth paste. The oil will eventually separate a little when this settles. If you want a really spreadable harissa, blitz for a little longer and add a tablespoon or two of water – this will emulsify it and make it a little creamier in texture. Will keep for up to 3 months in a tightly sealed jar in the fridge.
Salad
- Preheat the oven to 165˚C (330˚F).
- Drizzle a little olive oil on a large flat baking tray, then place the pumpkin on the tray. Combine the remaining olive oil, maple syrup and harissa in a bowl, then smear the mixture all over the pumpkin, using your hands.
- Season generously with salt and freshly ground black pepper, pop in the oven to roast until caramelised and cooked through. This can take between 25–40 minutes depending on the size of your pumpkin pieces.
- Put the burghul in a bowl. Bring the stock to the boil, then pour it over the burghul until just covered. Set aside for 10 minutes for the stock to absorb and use a fork to stir a few times to fluff the grains. I always like to be a little generous with the stock as the absorption rate can vary between batches of burghul and there is nothing more frustrating than realising your stock has been completely absorbed by the burghul before it has finished softening. (You can reserve any leftover stock for another use.) Set aside to cool, then stir through the mint. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper.
- Add the yoghurt, mint and basil to a blender and blitz to combine. Season with salt and pepper.
- Place a small non-stick frying pan over medium heat and, once warm, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and the halloumi. Cook until lightly golden on one side, 1–2 minutes, then flip to cook the other side.
- Smear the herb yoghurt across the base of a serving plate. Top with torn pieces of grilled halloumi and pumpkin pieces. Scoop the burghul on top, then drizzle with the harissa. Scatter with pumpkin seeds, give another generous season with salt & pepper and serve!
