The flourishing market & permaculture gardens surrounding The Zin House have begun their quarterly change of season, ready to take on a more reserved pace for the upcoming winter. While we say goodbye to the last of the summer staples like tomatoes, beans & zucchini, one particular favourite may now be absent from our gardens, but not from our stores. Mounds of mighty (and not so mighty) organic pumpkins line the shelves of our garden shed, ready to grace the plates of those at Zin, and of course in the Currie household.

Although many’s first thoughts of a hearty winter meal might go straight to the slow roasted lamb or crispy fried potatoes, Kim has put together a recipe for you that is set to be the unsung hero of your cool days eating.

Best served warm, Kim’s roast pumpkin salad with chickpeas and minted yoghurt dressing is a winner as a side dish to your favourite comfort foods or as a light meal on its own.

For the Salad 

• 500 g pumpkin, uncooked 
• 200 g chickpeas, cooked 
• 1 tbs dukkah 
• 1 tbs pumpkin seeds 
• 1 tbs pomegranate seeds (arils) 
• 200 g hummus 
• ½ bunch fresh mint, destemmed  
• 1 bunch rocket  
• extra virgin olive oil 
• salt & pepper 

For the dressing

• 2 heaped tbs yoghurt 
• 1 tbs olive oil 
• 1 tbs tahini 
• 1 dsp honey 
• 1 lemon, juice & rind 
• ½ bunch fresh mint, destemmed  
• salt & pepper 

METHOD 

Remove skin and dice your pumpkin. Toss with olive oil, season with salt & pepper, then roast at 200°C for about 15 minutes or until starting to caramelise.

Toss chickpeas and pumpkin seeds with a sprinkling of dukkha and olive oil. Roast in 200°C oven for about 10 minutes or until they’re taking on a little colour and drying out.

Make the yoghurt dressing by blending all the dressing ingredients together.

To serve, place the hummus in the centre of a large plate or bowl, sprinkle with the cooked pumpkin and chickpea mixture then drizzle with half the yoghurt dressing. Add the rocket and drizzle with the remainder of the dressing. Top with the pomegranate seeds and fresh mint sprigs.

Serve warm or at room temperature as a side or as a light meal on its own.

Kim’s cooking tips:

You can use most pumpkins for this recipe, however I suggest using one with good flesh colour and that holds its shape well during roasting (such as Golden Nugget or Kent pumpkins like the ones we have at Zin). For the cooked chickpeas, you can use tinned chickpeas for ease, or soak & cook your own from dried.