This salad showcases some of the many flavors that are abundant this time of year.  Not only are the colors of outdoor foliage bright and beautiful, but so are the colors of produce such as pomegranates, pumpkins, figs, pomegranates and the other luscious prizes of the fall harvest.

Adding some cooked chicken either poached or from a rotisserie bird purchased at the grocery store could make this into a hearty entrée salad.  Grilled sausages served alongside would also turn this into a relatively quick hearty meal.  Finish the meal with a fruit cobbler that goes into the oven after the pumpkin is roasted and you’ve just made an easy, delicious, and healthy seasonal meal!

Roasted Pumpkin & Spinach Salad

For best flavor and texture, be sure to use the small pie or sugar pumpkins when making this salad or when roasting pumpkin as a side dish. The large carving pumpkins are too fibrous and watery and lack flavor.  If fresh figs aren’t available, they may be omitted or replaced with dried mission figs that have had the stems removed and quartered.

Yield: 12 Servings
8 slices smoked bacon
2 small sugar pumpkins
1 large yellow onion
¼ cup olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup sherry vinegar
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons coarse-grained mustard
1 large shallot, finely minced
½ cup olive oil
2 10-oz. packages fresh baby spinach
6 fresh figs, quartered
1 pomegranate, broken up to remove seeds

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Lay bacon strips on parchment lined baking sheet with sides. Place bacon tray in the oven and cook until bacon is crisp, about 18-20 minutes. Return to oven if bacon isn’t crisp enough to crumble when the time is up. When bacon is crisp, remove from pan and drain on absorbent paper towels. Crumble and set aside.

Wash off exterior of pumpkins well. Using a large chef’s knife, split the pumpkins in half lengthwise. Scrape out seeds from interior and discard or save for roasting as a snack. Slice a small piece off the top and bottom of each pumpkin half so you can stand it upright. Starting where the skin and flesh meet, remove the skin from the pumpkin by trimming the skin with a chef’s knife, cutting with the curvature of the fruit. Cut pumpkin halves into one-inch thick slices and then one-inch chunks. Place pumpkin pieces in a large bowl. Cut the onion into 1-inch chunks and add to bowl with pumpkin. Season and toss the pumpkins and onions with olive oil, kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper, and half the sugar. Toss to coat evenly and scatter evenly on a parchment or foil-lined baking sheet. Place in preheated oven and roast until a paring knife can be inserted easily, about 15-20 minutes.

When pumpkin is tender, remove from the oven and sprinkle with remaining sugar. Return to oven and roast until sugar is caramelized. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.

In the bottom of a large mixing bowl, combine the sherry vinegar, salt, freshly ground black pepper, mustard and shallot. Whisk to blend and dissolve the salt. While whisking vigorously in a zig-zag motion, drizzle in the olive oil until blended with vinegar and emulsified. Taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary with salt and pepper. Add the spinach and roasted pumpkin pieces. Toss to coat evenly with the dressing and turn out onto a large platter. Sprinkle the top with the crumbled bacon and garnish the edges with fresh fig quarters. Sprinkle pomegranate seeds over the top for garnish.