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  • Prep:
    25 min
  • Cook:
    19 min

Ingredients

  • 200 grams baby spinach leaves stems removed
  • 300 grams butternut pumpkin peeled and seeded
  • 50 grams pine nuts toasted
  • 50 grams prosciutto thinly sliced
  • balsamic vinegar
  • extra virgin olive oil
  • honey

Salads are often not associated with the colder months of autumn and winter. This salad however is ideal for the colder months. The soft baby spinach leaves are a great alternative to the crispy summer lettuces, the oven roasted pumpkin is a nice slice of country warmth, and the crispy slightly salty prosciutto makes a nice wake up call to the hibernating taste buds.

February 23, 2011, By Paul Hegeman

Method

  1. Preheat oven with 2 baking trays to 180 degrees (350 fahrenheit).
  2. Slice pumpkin into 1/2 cm (1/4 inch) thick slices and then cut slices into bite sized pieces.
  3. Toss pumpkin pieces in olive oil, salt and pepper and place on preheated baking tray one layer deep and bake for approx 5 mins and turn over and bake a further 5 mins.
  4. Place thinly sliced prosciutto on a second preheated baking tray and bake in oven for 7 mins, turn over and continue baking until prosciutto is crisp.
  5. Place approx 3tbsps of olive oil in medium mixing bowl with 2 tbsps balsamic vinegar, whisk while gradually incorporating 1 tbsp honey.
  6. Once pumpkin and prosciutto have cooled to room temperature, place the spinach, pumpkin, pine nuts and most of the prosciutto in a large mixing bowl, toss with dressing, transfer to serving dish and garnish with the remaining crispy shards of prosciutto.