Prosciutto and pumpkin salad

I know, it’s cold and you’re not totally thinking about salad at the moment – but this one is warm and let’s face it – we don’t want to eat heavily all the way through winter. We have to give our body’s a break from the carbs! Well, that’s what I keep telling myself anyway 🙂

I love the nutty flavours of pumpkin in this recipe, mixed with the salty prosciutto and peppery rocket. If you don’t have prosciutto – you could also cut a few rashers of bacon into largeish pieces, fry them off and add them to the mix instead. It’s also great to take to work for lunch 🙂

Prosciutto and pumpkin salad

• 1 butternut pumpkin
• olive oil
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Half a teaspoon of chilli flakes
• 1 teaspoon of ground coriander
• 20 slices of prosciutto (you can get this at all good delis and even at your local supermarket)
• 4 handfuls of rocket
• 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar (please buy the best balsamic you can find – it makes ALL the difference)
• 1 small block of parmesan cheese

Method

Preheat your oven to 190°C. Peel pumpkin, remove the seeds and cut into largish cubes. Lay in a roasting tray, season with salt and pepper, the coriander and chilli flakes and drizzle over a little olive oil. Use your hands to rub the mixture all over the pumpkin. This is the best way to get the flavours going – it beats using a spoon any day. Roast the pumpkin for half an hour or until soft and golden. Allow to cool a little.

Lay your prosciutto over a large serving platter – let it twist and turn so it doesn’t look neat and flat. Put the pumpkin around the meat and then sprinkle over the rocket. Drizzle over a little extra virgin olive oil to dress the leaves, as well as the balsamic. Use a vegetable peeler to shave over the parmesan.

If you wanted something to go with it – some really simply grilled chicken would be great.

As for a song to groove to while you whip this up – I think something light and refreshing is in order. The Script are an awesome Irish band – and their song This Is Love is inspiring. You’ll want to play it over and over 🙂

What’s flicking through on your iPod at the moment? Share your favourite tunes in the comments section below and keep us all inspired!