Spiced Pumpkin Lentil and Goat Cheese Salad
Gourmet Club Theme #2 [ Autumn Harvest ] ~ The first official “meal” of our gourmet club was beyond a success. I could only describe it as a harmonious gathering of the culinary autumnal season. Honestly, all three couples came together a couple of weeks ago with four different courses to create a gourmet feast which left all of us in an unspeakable state of satisfaction. Our theme, which was chosen at the last gourmet evening, was Autumn Harvest, meant to showcase and experiment with all the wonderful ingredients that are born from this wonderful season. I’ve posted the menu below and the recipes at the bottom of the page. Here’s what we had:
Equipment
- 1 small bowl
- 1 oven
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup French green lentils*
- 6 cups 1-inch pieces peeled seeded sugar pumpkin or butternut squash from about one 2-pound whole pumpkin
- 3 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon hot smoked Spanish paprika**
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 4 cups baby arugula
- 1 cup soft goat cheese crumbled
- 1/4 cup thinly sliced mint leaves
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
Instructions
- Place lentils in small bowl.
- Cover with cold water and soak 10 minutes; drain.
- Cook lentils in boiling salted water until tender but firm, about 30 minutes.
- Drain lentils. Rinse under cold water, then drain.
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Place pumpkin in large bowl; toss with 2 tablespoons oil, cumin, paprika, and sea salt.
- Arrange pumpkin in single layer on baking sheet; roast 20 minutes.
- Turn pumpkin over.
- Roast until tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Cool.
- Combine lentils, pumpkin, and oil from baking sheet with arugula, half of goat cheese, mint, vinegar, and 1 tablespoon oil.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Divide among plates; sprinkle remaining goat cheese over.