The Importance of Pumpkin.
Pumpkin — and all variety of winter squash — are very important in South African and Botswanan cuisine. I first encountered this when reading The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series by Alexander McCall Smith. Mma Ramotswe, the main character, always seemed to be serving stewed or roasted pumpkin. It sounded good to me, but not something I ever tried.
At the end of August, I was invited by my photographer friend Lee to join him on a photography safari in Botswana. What a generous gift! I knew that pumpkin, as well as lions, zebras, and giraffes, were in my future. (More about the Safari soon!) My foray into the world of the cucurbita family started right after we landed in Johannesburg, South Africa.
We stopped overnight at the Intercontinental OR Tambo airport hotel on our way to Botswana, and one of the starters on the menu at the hotel restaurant was a Roasted Pumpkin Salad. It was quite wonderful; a simple roasted preparation flavored with cinnamon garnished with all sorts of pretty little accompaniments. The standouts were the pickled marrow (zucchini), radish slices, and roasted pumpkin seeds. It was fun making the balsamic pearls (and I would do it again in a heartbeat) but they were minor to the overall flavors. I hope you enjoy my version.
I used a kabocha squash from Sleeping Frog Farms to make this — incredibly flavorful and creamy. And, to start the New Year, I paired this beautiful dish with a full-bodied 2019 Côtes du Rhône by Stéphane Ogier. Please pop over to the Provence WineZine to read more.
~ David
Roasted Pumpkin Salad
To print this recipe, please click the small printer icon below.
Ingredients
- balsamic pearls (recipe follows)
- pickled zucchini ribbons (recipe follows)
- a 3 1/2-4 pound pumpkin (see notes)
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, soft
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon chicken stock concentrate/paste
- 3/4 cup water
- roasted and salted pepitas (sunflower seeds)
- 2 radishes, thinly sliced
- baby lettuce leaves
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°.
- Cut the pumpkin in half from stem to flower end. Scoop out the seeds from both halves (reserve seeds for roasting, if you like). Slice each half into 6 wedges, about 2 inches wide. Mash together the butter and cinnamon. Using a small spatula divide the butter evenly among the 12 slices, then “paint” all the non-skin surfaces with the cinnamon butter. Sprinkle with salt, place on a rimmed baking sheet, and place in the oven; roast for 35 minutes, or until easily pierced with a fork. Cooking times will differ depending on the thickness of the pumpkin and, of course, your oven temperature. When soft, remove from the oven and let cool. Reserve the 6 prettiest wedges for serving (note: some wedges might split in baking).
- Peel the remaining 6 slices and add the flesh to a blender with the chicken stock concentrate and 3/4 cup water. Purée until silky smooth. Add more water as needed to make a smooth purée.
- To serve, place 1/3 cup of purée on each of 6 plates. Nestle a pumpkin wedge on top, then garnish with the zucchini rolls, radish slices, balsamic pearls, and pepitas. Top with a couple of baby lettuce leaves.
- Serves 6 as a first course.
- Note: I used a 4-pound kabocha squash because of the thick and creamy flesh. A Magdalena Big Cheese squash also has very creamy flesh. Both of these squashes are less stringy and easy to seed. Any good pumpkin will work, though pie pumpkins have very thin flesh.
- ___________________________
- Balsamic Pearls
- • 1 1/2 cups salad oil
- • 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
- • 1/2 teaspoon agar agar powder
- place a tall glass of salad oil (not olive oil) in the freezer for at least an hour. When the hour is almost up, mix the balsamic vinegar and agar agar in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Once it boils, remove it from the heat and let it cool to 130°F. I use an instant-read thermometer. Note: the mixture will be very thin. Using a funnel, transfer the liquid to a squeeze bottle. Alternatively, you can use an eye dropper directly from the pan. Remove the oil from the freezer. Gently squeeze out drops into the oil. As they sink to the bottom, they will solidify and turn into “pearls.” When you have made all your pearls, pour the oil through a sieve to recover the pearls, and rinse the pearls thoroughly with cold water. Note: I saved the oil in the refrigerator for future pearls or for salads. Set the pearls aside in the refrigerator.
- ___________________________
- Pickled Zucchini Ribbons
- • 1 small zucchini
- • 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
- • 1/4 cup water
- • 1 tablespoon sugar
- • 1 teaspoon salt
- Using a vegetable peeler, pull thin slices of zucchini from two sides of the vegetable, stopping when it gets to the seedy center. Place the strips in a glass bowl. Bring the vinegar, water, sugar, and salt to a boil, stirring. When the sugar and salt have dissolved, pour the liquid over the zucchini ribbons, making sure they are all submerged. Cover and let sit, covered, for 20 minutes. Drain and let cool. Roll the ribbons, place on a plate, and cover.
© 2025 Copyright Cocoa & Lavender
Mad Dog
January 4, 2025 at 7:15 amThat looks stunning and how exciting to go on safari – I’m looking forward to reading about that!
Cocoa & Lavender
January 4, 2025 at 8:13 amThanks, Mad Dog. We eat with our eyes first, right? I am starting work in the Botswana post this morning!
Provençal Pairings: Wine with Food A Decade of Wining and Dining - Provence WineZine
January 4, 2025 at 7:41 am[…] Today, I am pairing a dish that I had, and have now recreated, from the Intercontinental Hotel OR Tambo In Johannesburg, South Africa. It is the perfect illustration of how I learned to play with my pairings. Check out the recipe for my Roasted Pumpkin Salad on Cocoa & Lavender. […]
Gerlinde de Broekert
January 4, 2025 at 8:39 amI want to hear more about your trip to Africa. What an unusual and intriguing salad it looks fantastic.
David Scott Allen
January 4, 2025 at 9:48 amI promise I will get my port about Botswana done soon! It was an unusual salad, but oh so good!
Barb
January 4, 2025 at 9:10 amWhat a fascinating salad! It’s a work of art that is both delicious and healthy. Looking forward to the Botswana post.
Cocoa & Lavender
January 4, 2025 at 9:50 amIt was very healthy, Barb (if you ignore some of the butter!), and delicious. I have really enjoyed experimenting with pumpkin recipes since the trip! (Post coming soon!)
angiesrecipes
January 4, 2025 at 11:53 amI absolutely LOVE pumpkins and this looks so beautifully presented and delicious, David. p.s BUTTER IS VERY HEALTHY!!!
Cocoa & Lavender
January 4, 2025 at 1:37 pmI’m right on board with you, Angie — butter rules! Not everyone thinks so, though. Glad you like the recipe and presentation!
Eha Carr
January 4, 2025 at 1:45 pmOh, oh, oh – yes, I have read the series and loved it but did not remember the salad! The latter looks just beautiful . . . I feel like enlarging and framing your first photo, truly! And those plates . . . ! (Shall be good!) And like all the others am lining up for the Botswana story – have not been and am writing with a rather green tinge to my face . .
Cocoa & Lavender
January 4, 2025 at 1:52 pmI’m so glad you like the recipe! I did not mean to mislead… This salad was not in the books. It was at the hotel we stayed at, but the use of pumpkin in many meals was in every book I remember. I just got the most recent book and haven’t started it yet.
I promise I will get to work on my Botswana post. It will be fun for me to look through all the photos!
FEL!X
January 5, 2025 at 12:08 amWhat a delicious way to use pumpkin!
The pearls are easy to prepare – I have them and others on my blog – but important that the oil is REALLY cold: by -18 °C, better more than 1 hour or over night!
Cocoa & Lavender
January 5, 2025 at 7:26 amThanks, Felis. I did include the recipe for the pearls in mine. Yes, they are really nice and easy.
Pauline
January 5, 2025 at 1:18 amYou have created so many pretty elements in this dish David, and I am in awe of your balsamic pearls, I could really get into those. The pumpkin looks perfect for this dish. Your kabocha squash also has me intrigued. You seem to have some wonderful pumpkins to choose from where you live. I want to check out the zucchini ribbons too. Your culinary adventures are off to a great start for 2025, and I look forward to hearing more about Botswana. Happy New Year to your both!
Cocoa & Lavender
January 5, 2025 at 7:27 amThanks, Pauline — the pearls are very simple and lots of fun to make. I have made them using all sorts of vinegars and juices. The possibilities are endless.
Happy New Year to you and Mr. HRK, as well.
sherry
January 5, 2025 at 3:08 amPumpkin is eaten as a vegetable here in Australia, so we eat roast pumpkin in salads, or with roast meat dinners or in risotto etc… How clever of you to make balsamic pearls. Pearls of all sorts both sweet and savoury are popular here atm.
cheers
sherry
Karen (Back Road Journal)
January 5, 2025 at 12:43 pmIt is always fun to experiment with new food ideas. Your pumpkin salad is different and so very pretty. I especially like all the different textures in the dish.
Ronit Penso
January 5, 2025 at 2:28 pmGreat flavors in this salad, stunning presentation! Using the pumpkin in two ways is brilliant. I’m also glad to discover this simpler way of making balsamic pearls! 🙂