Honeyed butternut risoni salad with marinated feta

Honeyed butternut risoni salad with marinated feta

Servings:

You know those salad-bar salads at the airport or the shopping centre, where it’s just pasta underneath a catfish layer of pumpkin? That’s because it hasn’t been properly tossed. In this bowl, you won’t be digging into nothing, you’ll be mining pure gold. Because it’s such brill bowl food – like a slippery risoni that’s great hot or cold – it makes a lovely lunch al desko for big meeting days, when you’re not sure if you’ll get to eat. There’s no need to peel the squash, as the skin softens in the oven. If you’ve got macadamia oil, use it to finish this. If you don’t have macadamias, use blanched almonds.

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F) or 180°C (350°F) fan forced. Line 2 large baking trays with baking paper.
To caramelise the leeks for the dressing, toss the slices in the olive oil, then transfer to one of the baking trays and roast on a lower shelf for 15–20 minutes until soft and starting to brown on the edges.
Meanwhile, cut the butternut pumpkin into 1 cm (3/8 inch) cubes. Toss the cubes with ¼ cup (60 ml) of the olive oil, the cinnamon and a good pinch of salt and freshly cracked pepper and spread over the other baking tray, then whack into the oven to cook for 20 minutes on a high shelf. When browned and softened, drizzle with the honey and scatter with the macadamias and pop back in the oven for 5–10 minutes until macadamias have coloured up to a golden brown. Set aside to cool.
Cook the risoni according to packet instructions, drain well and toss with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Spread out on a shallow tray to cool and dry out a little without clumping.
To make the caramelised leek dressing, rub a medium heatproof bowl with the bruised garlic, then pour in the apple cider vinegar and the honey and stir together. Scoop the caramelised leeks into the bowl along with all of their pan juices, stirring about to combine. Taste and season with salt and pepper, and if you feel like it could use a kick, crush in the garlic (or sprinkle in a little garlic powder).
Toss the cooled risoni with the dressing, rocket, pumpkin and macadamias, then top with feta.