Roast pumpkin, spinach & dukkah salad

Yesterday I wrote about the macadamia and lemon myrtle dukkah I had made. This was a real winner when added to bread dipped in olive oil. It was a real treat to have this with an end of day glass of wine.

The traditional dukkah version can be amended by replacing the combinations of nuts or spices used and you can vary the quantities of these to your particular taste. As well as a really tasty dip to dunk your bread into, dukkah can be used as an ingredient itself in any number of dishes. Lamb, chicken or fish with a dukkah crust, potatoes fried in olive oil, garlic and dukkah, a succulent roast of butterflied meat with a dukkah, breadcrumb and mushroom stuffing in the centre...but I digress!


I decided to use the dukkah I'd made in a simple salad of sweet roasted pumpkin, red capsicum and spinach. If I wanted to make this a more substantial salad, I would normally also add some chickpeas as well as other roasted vegetables like zuchinni, eggplant and carrot. As this was a side dish to a chicken main, I wanted to keep it simple.

As well as the vegetables, the addition of a couple of heaped tablespoons of the dukkah gave this salad a great texture and flavour. The lemon myrtle combined with the lemon juice in the dressing delivered a zingy kick and freshness.


I ate the leftover salad for lunch the next day and it was delicious as the dukkah and dressing had imparted even more flavour. This is a handy salad if you needed to make one ahead of time or make it in a larger quantity to eat later.

Roast pumpkin, spinach & dukkah salad
Ingredients:
½ butternut pumpkin, cut into half inch cubes
(Optional: 1 small zucchini, ½ eggplant, 1 large carrot cubed)
100g baby spinach
(Optional: 120g canned chickpeas, rinsed)
1 small capsicum, chopped
2 heaped Tbs dukkah of your choice
1 Tbs olive oil
S&P
Dressing:
Juice of 1 lemon
3 Tbs olive oil
2 tsp honey
S&P

1. Preheat oven to 180C
2. Line a baking tray with baking paper. Place pumpkin and any other vegetables to be roasted on the tray. Drizzle over the olive oil and add S&P to taste. Mix well. Bake for 30 minutes or until vegetables are cooked through. Remove from the oven and place vegetables into a salad bowl.
3. To vegetables, add chickpeas if using, capsicum, dukkah and spinach.
4. To make the dressing, whisk together all the dressing ingredients ensuring the honey is dissolved in the dressing. Add the dressing to the salad while the roast vegetables are still warm. Serve.

Macadamia & Lemon Myrtle Dukkah

Lemon myrtle, a native Australian bush spice, has become a more common ingredient in our cooking during recent years. As well as being used in everything from salt rubs to cheesecakes, it is also popular in natural skin care and you can even buy lemon myrtle toothpaste!

Lemon myrtle or Backhousia citriodora, is a native Australian tree growing naturally in QLD from Brisbane to Rockhampton. Lemon myrtle contains over 90% citral giving it that intense and unique citrus flavour. In comparison, citrus fruit typically has 3-10% citral. To read more about lemon myrtle and it's origins you can visit here.


Lemon myrtle is readily available in various supermarkets, specialty food stores and growers markets. If you can't find it near you or you live outside Australia, try any number of online retailers that supply this unique ingredient. This is a potent spice so I recommend purchasing small quantities as you are unlikely to use vast quantities in cooking. I bought my 20gm sachet of ground lemon myrtle from a local growers market. Opening this little packet and inhaling the wonderful scent is almost as good as tasting it.


I decided to pair my newly purchased lemon myrtle with some macadamias to make a variation of the traditional Middle Eastern dukkah. The lemon myrtle combined with the toasted macadamias and other spices really delivered the wow factor in this dukkah. Rather than screaming out its presence, the lemon myrtle left you wondering which ingredient in the dukkah was delivering such a unique flavour.


This recipe makes about one and a half cups of dukkah which is best stored in a sterilised glass jar. I like to eat it in the most popular way; served with great bread and dipped in a fruity olive oil then topped with the dukkah. Having said this, dukkah is also a versatile ingredient that can be used in a multitude of dishes. Come back tomorrow when I'll share a recipe using dukkah.

Macadamia & Lemon Myrtle Dukkah

Ingredients:
¾ cup macadamias
1/3 cup sesame seeds
1 tsp salt flakes
1 heaped tsp black peppercorns
2 heaped tsp coriander seeds
2 heaped tsp cumin seeds
2 tsp ground lemon myrtle

1. Spread macadamias on a baking tray and toast until golden in oven at 180C for about 5 minutes. Place toasted macadamias in a food processor.
2. In a non stick pan, lightly toast the sesame seeds for 5-6 minutes and place in food processor.
3. Add coriander seeds, cumin seeds and peppercorns to a non stick pan and roast lightly for about 2-3 minutes until fragrant. Add these spices to the food processor.
4. To the spice mix in the food processor, add the salt and lemon myrtle.
5. Pulse until a medium consistency is achieved ensuring not to grind too finely. Store in a sterilised glass jar.