Roast Pumpkin Salad with Israeli Couscous and Apple
A Roast Pumpkin Salad is nothing but goodness served on a plate. Envelop it with the pop of Israeli couscous, crunch of an apple and smeared with tahini dressing, it's a match made in heaven!
Cut the pumpkin into small 2 cm cubes. In a medium mixing bowl, add 2 tsp of olive oil, the cumin powder and a pinch of salt and pepper. Mix well to ensure the pumpkin is well coated.
Line a sheet pan with baking paper. Spread out the butternut pumpkin evenly across the sheet pan and place in the oven at 200°C or 390°F for 20 minutes.
Remove the sheet pan from the oven. Flip the pumpkin to expose the underside and bake for another 8 minutes. We are looking for a nice golden-brown colour.
In a medium saucepan, bring 4 cups of water to boil and add salt. Pour in the freekeh and cook on low heat for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. When done, remove from heat, drain and set aside to cool.
In another small saucepan, bring 2 cups of vegetable stock or broth to boil. Add the Israeli couscous and let it simmer for 8 minutes or until al dente. Keep the cover on so the steam doesn’t escape and allows the couscous to become light and fluffy. When done, remove from heat, drain and set aside to cool.
Cut the apple and slice into thin slices. Place them in a small mixing bowl with the salt water to avoid browning. Drain and dry the apples when you’re ready to serve.
Dry toast the pine nuts in a small fry pan for about 1-2 minutes, until golden brown.
Dressing
Add the tahini, maple syrup and the juice of half a lemon into a small mixing bowl.
Add water 1 tsp at a time and whisk well to combine the ingredients. 6 tsp of water is the recommended amount of water for this dressing but add more or less until you reach a consistency you are happy with.
Assembly
In a large mixing bowl, add the roasted pumpkin, freekeh, Israeli couscous, pine nuts and half the sliced apples. Mix gently.
Place the mixed salad on a serving platter.
With the remaining apple slices, create clusters in a fan shape and insert them strategically into the salad as a bit of a show piece.
Serve the tahini dressing on the side so guests can help themselves.
Season with salt and pepper. Serve.
Notes
You can substitute freekeh for barley, farro or quinoa.
If pine nuts are too expensive, you can use almonds or peanuts.
If you really can’t find tahini, peanut butter is the best replacement but is of course less healthier.
Don’t mix the dressing with the salad as the freekeh and Israeli couscous are heavy components and tend to absorb the dressing and after awhile makes it a bit gluggy.
If you don’t like salad dressings with maple syrup, you can add honey instead.