Recipe – Smoked Beetroot, Pumpkin and Halloumi Salad
Ingredients
| For the Salad | For the Dressing |
| 6 whole beetroots of similar size | 1/4 cup olive oil |
| 1/4 Kent pumpkin, skin and seeds removed, cut into large chunks | 1 orange, zested and juiced |
| Sea salt and black pepper, to taste | 1 tbsp white wine vinegar |
| 180g halloumi cheese, cut into 5mm slices | 2 tsp honey |
| 1/2 bunch fresh parsley | 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard |
| 1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted |
Directions
Step 1 – Trim the stalks from the beetroots and wash the beetroots well, then pat dry with paper towel. Fold a large piece of aluminium foil in half, then place the whole beetroots and pumpkin chunks onto the foil. Season with salt and pepper and drizzle generously with olive oil. Seal the foil tightly into a packet and then pierce a few holes into the top of the packet.
Step 2 – Soak your preferred wood chips for at least one hour before cooking. We recommend apple chips for this recipe. Alternatively, you could use wood chunks with a charcoal grill.
Step 3 – Heat the BBQ to medium heat (180 – 200°C) with two zone heat. Ensure the inside of the BBQ and grills are clean. If you are using a charcoal grill, place your briquettes or charcoal to one side of the grill, keeping an area clear as a zone of indirect heat. If you are using a gas BBQ, light a burner on one side of the BBQ only. If you are using a Weber Q, have a trivet and convection in place.
Step 4 – Once the BBQ has reached temperature, drain the wood chips and place into a smoker box. Add the smoker box to the BBQ over direct heat (or place the wood chunks directly onto the charcoal). Once the chips or chunks are smoking, place the foil packet into the BBQ, away from direct heat, close the BBQ lid and roast the vegetables for around 20 – 30 minutes or until the larger pieces of pumpkin and the beetroots are soft. Remove the packet from the BBQ, open the packet and allow the vegetables to cool.
Step 5 – While the BBQ is still on, cook the halloumi slices directly on the grill until char marks appear, then remove and set aside to keep warm.
Step 6 – Remove the vegetables from the foil packet, peel the skin from the beetroots and discard, before cutting all of the vegetables into bite sized pieces.
Step 7 – Add all of the dressing ingredients to a small jar, close the lid and shake well.
Step 8 – To assemble the salad, arrange the vegetables on a platter, top with the halloumi slices, then pour over the dressing and garnish with the pine nuts and parsley.
