Freekeh Spiced Squash Winter Salad
Ingredients
- 1 x 250g pouch of Merchant Gourmet Simply Cooked Freekeh
- 90g Merchant Gourmet Simply Cooked Chestnuts, sliced
- Half of a large butternut squash, peeled, de-seeded and diced
- 1 orange pepper, de-seeded, diced 2.5cm
- 80g dried apricots, diced
- Grated zest of half an orange, 200ml & 3 tbsp juice
- Grated zest of half a lemon & 2 tbsp juice
- 1 tbsp grated ginger
- 1 mild red chilli, de-seeded and finely chopped
- 40g rocket, 3/4 sliced and leaves of leftover 1/4
- 2 tbsp toasted pumpkin seeds
- 2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- Salt, sugar & ras el hanout
Preparation
Pre-heat your oven to 220c
Spread the squash and peppers into an oven tray with low sides, just large enough to hold them in a single layer
Toss with the oil, salt and 1 tsp raz-el-hanout
Roast for 18-22 minutes on the top shelf of your oven until the vegetables are lightly caramelised and tender
Boil the 200ml orange juice until it has reduced by three quarters
Mix with the citrus zest, citrus juices, ginger, and extra virgin olive oil
Season to taste with salt, sugar to balance the acidity and ras-el-hanout to the level of spice you prefer
Once the vegetables are roasted, toss them with 2 tbsp of this mixture
Warm the merchant gourmet simply cooked freekeh according to the instructions on the packet
Mix it with the remaining dressing, dried apricots and chilli
Fold the hot roasted squash and sliced rocket in gently
Season to taste
Scatter the toasted pumpkin seeds, sliced chestnuts and whole rocket leaves over the top
Serve at any temperature except fridge cold
