Roasted pumpkin and chickpea with barberries, feta and dukkah

By: Michael James, Pippa James
From: The Tivoli Road Baker
Serves: 8 as a substantial lunch; 12 or more as part of a larger meal
Photographer: Bonnie Savage and Alan Benson

With every change of season we have something to look forward to. Autumn brings the vibrant butternut pumpkin, which we use for our savoury Danishes, sandwiches and this warm and earthy salad. Barberries are small dried berries that have a sharp and slightly acidic flavour. They help to give balance, and accent the more mellow flavours in this dish. Barberries are available from most health food stores – if you can’t find them, you could use currants.

For quick assembly on the day, make the dukkah ahead of time. I like to at least double the recipe, so I always have some to hand for use in everything from salads, to avocado on toast, to pumpkin soup. It will retain good flavour for up to a month stored in an airtight container in your spice cupboard. You could also cook the chickpeas the day before, or substitute a 400 g (14 oz) tin of chickpeas.

Ingredients

Quantity	Ingredient

Dukkah

Quantity	Ingredient
1 teaspoon	fennel seeds
	1 1/2 teaspoons cumin seeds
1 tablespoon	coriander seeds
1/2 teaspoon	nigella seeds
40g	macadamia nuts, lightly toasted and roughly chopped
1 tablespoon	pepitas (pumpkin seeds), lightly toasted
	1 1/2 teaspoons pink peppercorns
	1/2 teaspoon smoky paprika
	1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Roasted pumpkin

Quantity	Ingredient
1	butternut pumpkin (squash) (roughly 1–1.2 kg/2 lb 3 oz–2 lb 10 oz)
150ml	extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon	cumin seeds
1/4 teaspoon	ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon	smoky paprika
1/2 teaspoon	coriander seeds, gently crushed in a pestle and mortar
	salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Assembly

Quantity	Ingredient
250g	dried chickpeas, soaked overnight in water
100g	barberries
1/2	red onion, peeled and thinly sliced
1 handful	spinach, washed and dried
1 handful	wild rocket, washed and dried
1/4 bunch	coriander (cilantro), washed and stems attached
1/4 bunch	mint, washed, leaves picked and roughly torn
1/4 bunch	parsley, washed, leaves picked and roughly torn
40g	sesame seeds, toasted
40g	pepitas (pumpkin seeds), toasted
40g	sunflower seeds, toasted
	juice and zest of 1 lemon
75m	extra virgin olive oil
	salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
150g	feta

Method

To make the dukkah, gently toast the fennel, cumin, coriander and nigella seeds seperately in a dry frying pan over a low heat for around 1 minute, until fragrant. Move the pan around continuously to avoid burning the spices. Set aside to cool slightly, and then gently break them up with a mortar and pestle – you just want to release the fragrance, not grind the spices to a powder. Combine the spices in a small bowl with the remaining dukkah ingredients and stir to combine well. Set aside.
Place the chickpeas in a saucepan and cover with 1.5 litres (51 floz/6 cups) cold water. Bring to the boil and then reduce to a simmer for 45–50 minutes, until tender. Strain and set aside to cool.
Place the barberries in a small bowl and just cover with warm water. Leave them to soak while you roast the pumpkin.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 200°C (390°F). Peel and roughly chop the pumpkin into large bite-sized chunks. Toss them together with 150 ml (5 floz) of the oil and the spices, and season to taste with salt and pepper.
Spread the pumpkin out on a roasting tray and cook it in the oven for 10 minutes. Take the pan out of the oven and gently agitate it to stop the pumpkin sticking and to make sure it’s roasting evenly. Return to the oven for another 10–15 minutes, until the pumpkin is tender and just starting to caramelise. Set aside to cool.
Drain the barberries well. To assemble your salad, place the pumpkin, chickpeas, onion, spinach, rocket, herbs, toasted seeds and lemon zest in a large mixing bowl. Pour the lemon juice and oil over the salad, then toss with your hands to mix and coat everything well. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Transfer to a serving bowl (or individual bowls if using) and top with crumbled feta and a sprinkling of dukkah.

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Roasted pumpkin and chickpea with barberries, feta and dukkah

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