Serves: 6-8
Preparation: 45 minutes
Ingredients
For the Salad:
● 200g curly kale
● 500g pumpkin
● 180 ml olive oil
● 6 Medjool dates
● 4–6 tbsp date syrup
For the pesto:
● 30g fresh basil
● 4/5 cloves garlic
● 150g pistachios, shelled
● 200ml olive oil
● Salt and pepper
● 2–3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
Method
● For the kale and the pumpkin: heat your oven to 200°C.
● Cut each date into 4–6 slices and set aside.
● Lay the curly kale on a roasting tray and drizzle half the olive oil over it.
● Cook in the oven for 20 minutes, mixing regularly to make sure it becomes crispy all over. Set aside but leave the oven on.
● Wash and halve the pumpkin; scoop out the seeds.
● Leaving the skin on, lay it on a roasting tray and drizzle the remaining olive oil over it.
● Roast the pumpkin for 45 minutes and once cooked, leave to cool.
● Using a melon baller, scoop as many little pumpkin balls as you can get from the pumpkin.
● For the pesto: put all the pesto ingredients in a food processor and pulse until they are extremely fine and then season to taste.
● To assemble the salad: lay the kale on a large plate.
● Arrange the pumpkin balls on top.
● Using a teaspoon top each ball with some pesto pistachio.
● Decorate with the dates and drizzle the salad with the date syrup.
● Season with salt and pepper to taste.
