Festive season pumpkin salad

A touch of juniper, just a bit of allspice, some cinnamon, rosemary and nutmeg, mixed with rosemary and garlic, and the pumpkin soaks up all the flavours of the festive season. Served with fresh goat’s milk cheese, they play in great contrast with each other and the cranberries and nuts are somewhere in the middle of that game. A beautiful festive season salad that I will serve when friends come over for an Advent dinner.

Ingredients

800 g banana pumpkin or butternut squash
20 ml grape seed oil
1/4 tsp cinnamon
freshly ground nutmeg to taste
5 allspice, crushed into powder
2 juniper berries, crushed into powder
2 rosemary sprigs
1/3 tsp freshly ground pepper
10 garlic cloves, crushed with knife
sea salt to taste

serving:
200 g fresh goat milk cheese
4 tbsp dried cranberries
2 tbsp smoked almonds, roughly chopped
4 tbsp hazelnut or olive oil
black sesame seeds

Prepare

Heat the oven to 200°C. Layer the pan with baking paper.

Rub the pumpkin slices with oil and lay them on the pan. In a bowl, mix the spices and sprinkle on the pumpkin slices. Sprinkle salt, rosemary and garlic on the pumpkin. Bake until they are golden brown (approx. 15 – 20 minutes, but it depends on the pumpkin).

When the pumpkin is ready, take it out of the oven and put on a serving dish. Add cheese, cranberries, almonds, drizzle with some oil and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Serve.

* I use Seeberger smoked almonds.

Pictures of me: Kristine Dzalbe
Rest of the pictures, styly, text and recipes: Signe Meirane
Pictures taken with Sony Alpha 7s
In collaboration with HM Home Christmas collection
Christmas tree: www.eglupiegade.lv
Christmas wreath: Magnolijas zieds