Are you pumped for fall?

A Pinch of Salt

By Donna Marie Riani

Fall on the Oregon Coast is here in all its colorful glory. I live for this time of year. The cozy warmth of boots, sweaters and scarves. Spooky movie nights with big bowls of popcorn. Curling up on the couch with a spine-tingling mystery book. Smells of comfort food wafting from the kitchen. These are some of the things I associate with the season. Even if the skies are gray and it’s raining sideways, it just adds to the fall atmosphere.

The symbol of this season is the pumpkin. They can be decorations, a night of carving fun and they can also be a delicious meal.

Pumpkins are one of the oldest crops known to have been cultivated in our country. Pumpkins are usually planted around the end of May and take roughly 120 days to reach maturity. They come in all shapes and sizes and can weigh anywhere from a few ounces to more than 100 pounds.

Pumpkins have some of the cutest names too: Big Moon, Happy Jack, Autumn Gold, Sweetie Pie and Jack Be Little to name a few.

There are more than 400 pumpkin farms in Oregon, some of them open to the public with pick-your-own pumpkin patches. In my family, no fall season is complete without a visit to a pumpkin patch.

It’s not just the flesh or meat of the pumpkin that’s good eating, the skin is also edible. And let’s not forget the pumpkin seeds waiting to be seasoned, roasted and snacked on. Not all pumpkins are suitable for eating. The larger pumpkins that are used for carving are not as tasty. The larger the pumpkin, the more fibrous and watery it will be. It also will be less flavorful. The tiny pumpkins we use to decorate our tables have less meat in them and will require more of them to feed a group. Small to medium sized pumpkins are ideal.

This recipe for Roasted Fall Pumpkin Salad is not only pretty but delicious. The colors in this pop — the white feta, ruby red dried cranberries and the golden orange pumpkin. The flavors are amazing, too. It’s sweet, tart and savory and it’s all drizzled with a maple orange vinaigrette. This is a fall favorite. I hope you FALL in love with it too.

Roasted Pumpkin Salad with Maple Orange Vinaigrette

2 small pumpkins

Olive oil for drizzling

1/4 cup pumpkin seeds

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

Salt and black pepper to taste

3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese, or goat cheese if you prefer

1/3 cup dried cranberries

Maple orange vinaigrette

1/4 cup olive oil

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons orange juice (about the juice of half of a small orange)

2 tablespoons maple syrup

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon each salt and black pepper

To toast the pumpkin seeds, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Rinse the outside of the pumpkins and dry with a towel. With a sharp knife, cut each pumpkin in half. Scoop out the seeds and pulp. Put a quarter cup of the seeds in a fine mesh strainer. Rinse the seeds and place them on a towel and blot to remove the excess moisture. Place the seeds in a bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and add a sprinkle of salt and the garlic powder. Toss to coat evenly. Place the seeds on a small rimmed baking sheet and toast for about 12 to 15 minutes. Stir the seeds every five minutes to make sure they are toasting and browning evenly. If you want to roast all of the seeds you get from the pumpkins, just add more salt and garlic powder.

To roast the pumpkin, raise the oven temperature to 425 degrees. Cut each pumpkin half into slices about three quarters of an inch thick. Place the slices on a large rimmed baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss everything to coat it thoroughly. Roast in the oven for 30 minutes or until the pumpkin is fork tender. If you don’t care for the texture of pumpkin skin, you can peel it off easily after roasting it.

To make the vinaigrette, place all the vinaigrette ingredients in a mason jar with a tight-fitting lid. Give it a shake to blend all the ingredients. Set aside.

To assemble the salad, leave the pumpkin slices whole or cut them into smaller pieces. Place the roasted pumpkin on a platter. Sprinkle over the feta, dried cranberries and the pumpkin seeds. Shake the vinaigrette again and drizzle over. This can be served hot or room temperature. 

Note: This will serve about six people as a side dish or three to four people as a main course.