Name: Roast pumpkin, steamed aubergine, shimeji and shiitake, herbed mascarpone and Parmesan
Yield: For 6 as a starter or 4 as a main course
Ingredients: 2 handfuls salad leaves (I used mâche/corn salad but baby spinach, rocket/arugula or baby kale would work well); 30 g (1 oz.) Parmesan; 1 juicy lemon; 2 tbsp shredded fresh soft herbs (basil, parsley, mint, coriander/cilantro, chervil); 1 spring onion (scallion), thinly sliced; 1 aubergine (eggplant), cut into batons; 2 tbsp olive oil; 200 g (7 oz.) shiitake mushrooms, stalks discarded, cut into wedges; 200 g (7 oz./scant 1 cup) mascarpone, at room temperature; 200 g (7 oz.) shimeji mushrooms, caps separated from the bases; 1 tbsp rosemary leaves; 2 tsp cumin seeds; 800 g (1 lb. 1 oz.) pumpkin, peeled, deseeded and cut into large chunks

Preparation info

For
6
as a starter as a main course

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

Savour

By Peter Gordon

Published 2016

About

A salad for autumn (the fall), with lovely aromas coming from the lemon zest as it hits the warm vegetables. You can also add chestnuts to the vegetables while they’re steaming, which adds great texture to the salad. Use the best quality Parmigiano Reggiano for this rather than some sad cheaper version. Alternatively, use something like Comté, an aged pecorino or manchego, or even a soft blue cheese.