Lost Recipe - Green Bean, Quinoa, Roasted Pumpkin and Pickle Salad

Green bean, quinoa, roasted pumpkin and pickle salad.

BY CALIOPI BUCK

FRANK & CONNIE'S KITCHEN

INGREDIENTS
SALAD
300G GREEN BEANS
500G PUMPKIN
1/4 CUP RED QUINOA
40 G SUNFLOWER SEEDS
1/3 BUNCH ITALIAN PARSLEY 50G NATURAL WHOLE ALMONDS 70G SHALLOTS
40G GREEN SULTANAS
50G GRUYERE
SALT/BLACK PEPPER

DRESSING

90G DATE MOLASSES
5G SALT
50G RED WINE VINEGAR
30ML LIGHT OLIVE OIL OR BLEND

PICKLE LIQUOR

160 RICE VINEGAR 100G WATER
10G SALT
30G SUGAR

METHOD

Preheat oven to 170 degrees.

Peel and slice shallots 4 mm thick. Place in small bowl with the sultanas.

Put all pickle ingredients in a pot and bring to boil. Simmer 1 minute and then pour over sultana mix. Set aside to soak. Overnight is preferable but a few hours of pickling can sauce. Once the sultanas are visibly plump you're good to go.

Roast almonds in the oven until crisp and light brown on the inside. 6/10 minutes. Once cool chop up in the food processor until they are in the middle of chunky and fine. You could also just put in a clean t towel and smash with a pot. Saves washing up more dishes.

Peel then cut pumpkin into 8 cm chunks. Oil then season well and place on a tray with grease proof paper and roast in the oven until caramelised.

Approximately 20 minutes-ish. Set aside to cool.

Place quinoa in a pot with 3 times the amount of water and bring to the boil. Cook until tender but still holding a bite.

Boil some water in a medium pot. Add salt. If it's salty like the sea you've put enough in. Top all the green beans. Boil for 1.5 minutes. We want the bean not super raw but still with a good crunch. Refresh in cold water then drain and set aside.

Pick Italian parsley, wash and then slice finely.

To make dressing mix the molasses with the salt and vinegar and then whisk in the oil. Set aside. This will keep in the fridge for a few weeks at least too.

Assemble the salad:

Combine all ingredients except the dressing and cheese in a big bowl and have a good mix with your hands.

Put in a 1/4 of the dressing and taste. I'd put more in at this stage but depending on your love of vinegar and pickle add what you think.

Season with salt and pepper to your taste. I aim for a nice balance of zing and sweetness.

Once you're happy with the flavour put in a bowl or platter. Grate the cheese over the top. The finer the better.

Serve.

If you are eating the salad at a later time leave the cheese off until serving. You could use charred broccoli instead of beans if you like. Eats beautifully with a juicy baby chicken or anything really. Happy Eating.