Bacon Roasted Hokkaido with Spinach Apricot Salad

Colourful, flavourful and easy to make, these bacon roasted pumpkin wedges with spinach salad are great as an appetizer, side dish or even a light lunch. Anything wrapped with bacon is superfood if you ask me, and the spinach salad with dried apricot and toasted pine nuts is a star on its own too. This is one ultimate cold weather comfort food you’ll treat yourself to again and again. Use other types of winter squashes (acorn, kent or butternut are all great) if you can't find hokkaido.

Bacon Roasted Pumpkin	Spinach Apricot Salad
1 Hokkaido pumpkin, cut into wedges 2 tbsp Olive oil 1 tbsp Rosemary, chopped 1 tsp Chilli flakes Salt and fresh cracked pepper 20-24 Smoked bacon slices 8-10 Garlic cloves, smashed	80 g Baby spinach 1 Chilli pepper, deseeded and thinly sliced 6 Dried apricots, sliced 1/2 Lemon, juiced 4 tbsp Olive oil 2 tbsp Pine nuts, toasted 30 g Parmesan cheese, shaved

Preheat your oven to 200C/400F. Cut the pumpkin in half and scrape the seed and guts. Cut each half into 5-6 wedges.
Mix olive oil, rosemary, chilli flakes, salt and pepper. Add pumpkin wedges and toss to coat well.
Wrap each pumpkin wedge with two bacon slices and arrange them on a baking tray with smashed garlic cloves. Scrape the olive oil mixture over.
Roast until all the pumpkin wedges are cooked through and golden brown, 20-25 minutes. Turn the wedges halfway through cooking if you want, to brown bacon evenly.
Wash the spinach and spin it dry in a salad spinner. Halve the chilli pepper lengthways, remove the seeds and cut into fine strips. Cut the apricots into thin slices.
For the dressing, mix the olive oil and lemon juice. Toast the pine nuts in a pan without oil. Mix the spinach with the apricots, chilli, pine nuts and toss with the dressing. Top with shaved Parmesan. Serve the roasted bacon pumpkin wedges with the salad.

8 comments:

Tom 16/11/24 13:30: ...will need to find some Hokkaido pumpkin!
DEZMOND 16/11/24 13:56: I also bought a handful of spinach today, will cook it tomorrow for lunch with some millet flour based macaroni and garlic.
Brian's Home Blog 16/11/24 15:12: Yum, pumpkin and bacon sounds really great!
MELODY JACOB 16/11/24 15:35: This recipe sounds absolutely mouthwatering! The combination of bacon-roasted pumpkin wedges and the fresh, vibrant spinach apricot salad is a perfect mix of savory and sweet flavors. The bacon adds that irresistible crispy touch, while the salad brings brightness and texture with the apricots and toasted pine nuts. A truly comforting dish for the colder months, and I love how versatile it is with different types of winter squashes!

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Lola Martínez 16/11/24 15:50: Para mi es un primer plato delicioso, seguro que repetiría ración porque tanto la calabaza como la ensalada me encantan.
David M. Gascoigne, 16/11/24 15:56: I have never even heard of Hokkaido pumpkin.
Norma2 16/11/24 16:56: Angie, the roasted bacon will make the squash very tasty. The baby leaf salad is delicious and with which you have added so much more!
Anonymous 16/11/24 19:16: I love the idea of wrapping the pumpkin wedges in bacon — so flavorful! I’ll skip the garli though — definitely don’t need that! David (C&L)