From the Chef's Garden: A Winter Salad Revelation
Renowned British chef and restaurateur Mark Hix has unveiled a stunning recipe designed to brighten the greyest of winter days. His creation, a roast pumpkin and pickled walnut salad, combines shaved and roasted squash for a riot of texture and colour. Based in Lyme Regis, Dorset, Hix draws on personal experience, having recently received a bounty of squash from a friend's vineyard in East Devon after his own gardening efforts faced challenges.
The Versatility of Winter Squash
Hix champions the humble squash, a vegetable that, once cured, can be stored and used throughout the long winter. He notes that buying squash can be daunting due to their size, praising Mediterranean and Turkish supermarkets for often selling them in pre-cut wedges. For this recipe, he used a crown prince squash, but insists any ripe, orange-fleshed variety like butternut or sunshine will work perfectly.
The chef's culinary experiments with squash extend far beyond salads. He recounts making a cheesecake with sweet squash relish, a chocolate and pumpkin pie, and even an inventive cocktail using squash trimmings, mezcal, and a Kentish walnut liqueur from Pleasant Land Distillery in Aldington.
How to Make the Perfect Winter Salad
The recipe, which serves four as a side, is elegantly straightforward. It requires 400g of prepared squash flesh, rapeseed or olive oil, small salad leaves, fresh tarragon, and four pickled walnuts. The dressing is a simple blend of cider vinegar, pickled walnut liquor from the jar, and oil.
Method:
- Heat the oven to 200C (180C fan)/390F/gas 6. Heat oil in a roasting tray in the oven.
- Using a peeler or mandoline, shave a third of the squash into ribbons. Chill these in iced water until they curl.
- Cut the remaining squash into chunks, season, toss in the hot oil, and roast for 30 minutes until tender.
- Drain and dry the shaved squash, then mix with leaves, tarragon, and diced pickled walnuts.
- Whisk the dressing ingredients with any leftover roasting oil and season.
- Arrange the salad, spoon over the dressing, and finish with optional toasted pumpkin seeds.
This dish from the chef, whose latest limited-edition book 'Fishy Tales' is priced at £90, showcases how simple ingredients can be transformed into a spectacular seasonal centrepiece. It's a testament to making the most of British winter produce.
