Moroccan-Spiced Pumpkin, Tomato and Quinoa Salad

Cook Time 1.5 Hours

Servings 6

Ingredients

1 medium-sized kabocha squash/japanese pumpkin
2 fl oz (60 ml) olive oil
8 roma tomatoes
1 medium red onion, finely diced
1 clove garlic, crushed
9 oz (250 g) cooked chickpeas/garbanzo beans
9 oz (250 g) cooked black quinoa
9 oz (250 g) cooked red quinoa
Sea salt and pepper
1 lime, zest and juice
1 bunch flat-leaf parsley
1 bunch fresh mint
1 bunch fresh coriander/cilantro

Spice Mix
1 tablespoon fennel seeds
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
1 teaspoon flaked sea salt

Method

Preheat the oven to 320°f (160°c). Toast the spices in a small non-stick frying pan for 3 minutes. Pour them into a grinder and blend to a powder.

Using a large strong knife, cut the pumpkin in half vertically. Scrape out the seeds from the centre and discard. Rub the flesh of one half in a little olive oil and dust with a tablespoon of the spice mix. Place the oiled pumpkin half on a roasting tray with the open side facing up. Bake in the oven for approximately 1 hour 15 minutes until tender. Peel the remaining half of the pumpkin (about 32 oz/900 g) and dice into approximately ¾ in (2 cm) square pieces. Rub these with a little olive oil and place on a roasting tray. Roast for 1 hour until cooked.

Cut the roma tomatoes in half and rub with some olive oil. Place on a roasting tray and dust with some of the spice mix. Roast in the oven for 45 minutes until cooked and coloured.

In a large frying pan, heat some olive oil and fry the onion and garlic. After 2 minutes, add the remaining spice mixture and chickpeas. Roughly chop the roasted tomatoes and add to the pan with the diced roasted pumpkin. Stir in the black and red quinoa and cook everything together for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool. season with sea salt and pepper and stir in the zest and juice of the lime.

To serve, spoon the mixture into the pumpkin half and dress with the picked fresh herbs.