Roast Pumpkin Salad with Pancetta, Grana Padano and Pumpkin Seeds

Serves	4 as an appetiser and 2 as a main meal
Prep time	15 minutes
Cook time	35 minutes
Total time	50 minutes
Meal type	Appetizer, Lunch, Main Dish, Salad, Side Dish, Snack, Starter
Misc	Gourmet, Serve Hot
Occasion	Casual Party, Christmas, Formal Party, Halloween, Thanksgiving
By author	Karen S Burns-Booth

This vibrant and elegant Autumn salad is easy to make and combines hot roast pumpkin, pancetta and toasted pumpkin seeds with salad leaves, Italian cheese and a pumpkin oil dressing. It makes a perfect starter/appetiser for any formal or family dinner, as well as being a wonderful luncheon dish when served with crusty artisan bread. If you are serving this to vegetarians, just omit the pancetta, and add some extra cheese.

Ingredients

half a pumpkin, about 500g to 550g (peeled and cut into even sized cubes)
160g pancetta (cut into cubes, or use lardons)
2 tablespoons pumpkin seeds
2 tablespoons pumpkin oil (or other vegetable or nut oil of your choice)
3 tablespoons cider apple vinegar
salt and black pepper
mixed salad leaves (about 100g, I used Mesclun leaves)
shavings of Grana Padano cheese (about 50g)

Note

Directions

Step 1	Pre-heat oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6.
Step 2	Put the pancetta (or lardons), pumpkin cubes and pumpkin seeds into a large roasting tin and roast for 25 to 35 minutes, or until the the pancetta is crispy and the pumpkin is cooked. Check half way through that there is enough fat and if not, add a little vegetable oil; the pancetta usually makes enough fat to roast the pumpkin and other ingredients.
Step 3	Arrange the salad leaves on to a large plate or individual plates. Mix the pumpkin oil and cider apple vinegar together and whisk to create a dressing, season to taste with salt and pepper, remembering that the pancetta is salty.
Step 4	Spoon the hot pumpkin, pumpkin seeds and pancetta over the top of the salad leaves and then add shavings of Grana Padano cheese, before serving with crusty baguette or any rustic artisan bread.
Step 5	Serves four people as a starter and two people as a main meal, served with bread.