Roasted Pumpkin Salad with Barley

Step 1

Preheat your oven to 220ºC.

Step 2

Start by preparing your pumpkin by washing it, cut it open in half and remove the seeds. Slice off 4 thumb-size pieces of pumpkin including the skin and set them aside. Peel the rest of the pumpkin and cut it into bitesize pieces. Transfer the pieces to an ovenproof dish, drizzle with olive oil & sprinkle with a little salt, then roast in the oven for about 20-25 minutes.

Step 3

Whilst the pumpkin is in the oven, wash the pearl barley and add it to a saucepan with about 1l of boiling water. Boil on medium-high heat for about 15-20 minutes. The barley will expand in size during this process and soak up the cooking water - make sure to stay close by and check on the barley evert 2-3 minutes and add more water if needed. Once the Barley has doubled in size and is cooked soft, drain and set aside.

Step 4

Wash & slice the mushrooms and fry them in a large pan using a drizzle of olive oil. Make sure to only fry them for about 1-2 minutes on each side, so they are done, but don't release too many juices or lose too much size. Season to taste with salt & pepper, then set aside.

Step 5

When the mushrooms are done, remove them from the pan and fry the 4 thumb-size slices of pumpkin in the pan with olive oil and a little salt until lightly browning and soft. Set the pumpkin aside.

Step 6

In a small jar, combine the pumpkin seeds and the tamari, then roast them in the hot oven for about 5 minutes.

Step 7

To prepare the dressing, simply combine 1 Tbsp of walnut oil and 1 Tbsp of Apple Cider Vinegar in a small glass and briefly whisk it up.

Step 8

Now it's time to assemble! Add a handful of rocket salad to each plate, then top with the barley, mushrooms and roasted pumpkin chunks. Shred 1/4 of an apple on to each plate, add the fried pumpkin and pour over the walnut-vinegar dressing. Finish off the dish by sprinkling the roasted pumpkin seeds over the top.

Step 9

Pour yourself a cold Appletiser and enjoy!