Autumn break

It's autumn break this week and timing couldn't be more perfect. Instead of this dreary week with rain and greyness, this year it seems Mother Nature is giving us a real treat. It's been sunny all weekend and the nights are cold but during the day when the sun shines the temperature is great for doing things, like taking a walk in the park. Which is exactly what we did to take in all the wonderful yellows, oranges and reds.

Furthermore, autumn break means all the time in the world to try new recipes. In spirit with the season, I decided to make pumpkin recipes. Pumpkin is not very popular here in Holland and I have little experience cooking it or eating it. Although, I do remember some dishes from my time in South Africa where it is much more common. Feta and pumpkin make a great combination, so that's where I started making my salad for lunch yesterday.

Roasted Pumpkin and Feta Salad

1/2 pumpkin, deseeded and cut into cubes of about 2cm5 handfuls of rocket or any other quite spicy lettuce
12 black olives, deseeded
1/2 packet of feta cheese
1 red onion, cut in rings
5 tbsp of olive oil
1 tbsp of balsamic vinegar
1 tsp of ground cumin
1/2 tsp of round chilli flake1/2 tsp of cayenne pepper
salt and pepper

Preheat the oven at 220 degrees Celsius. Peel and deseed half of the pumpkin and cut it into cubes of about 2 cm. Make a dressing for the pumpkin, using three tablespoons of olive oil, the cumin, the chilli flakes and the cayenne pepper. Put the pumpkin parts in the dressing and mix well, making sure all the parts are covered. Season with some salt and pepper. Put the pumpkin part on a baking tray and roast in the oven for 25-30 minutes. When the pumpkin is ready take it out of the oven and let it cool a bit otherwise your salad leafs will welt. In the mean while, put the clean lettuce in a bowl and add the olives, the onion and the feta. You can add the feta to taste varying the amount to whether you're a cheese lover or not. In my family we are not that cheesy when it comes to salads, so half a slice of feta will do for us. Make a quick dressing with the balsamic vinegar and the rest of the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and if you like some dried Mediterranean herbs. Top the salad with the slightly cooled pumpkin and the dressing. Enjoy!