Warm pumpkin salad with Parma ham and Pecorino

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 1 butternut squash
• olive oil
• Sea salt
• Pepper, black, freshly ground
• 2 red chili peppers
• 1 tsp coriander seeds
• 20 slices of Parma ham
• 4 handfuls of arugula
• 6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 4 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 piece(s) Pecorino or Parmesan

Instructions

Working time approx. 35 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 30 minutes; Total time approx. 1 hour 5 minutes

Preheat the oven to 190°C (top/bottom heat). Carefully halve the pumpkin lengthwise, taking care not to cut the seeds. Trim and discard the ends. Halve both halves again, place the pieces in a roasting pan, and rub with a little olive oil. Crush the chili peppers and coriander seeds in a mortar and pestle with a level teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Sprinkle the pumpkin with the spice mix and bake in the oven for half an hour, until soft and golden yellow. Allow the pumpkin to cool slightly. Arrange the ham on four plates. The slices can hang over the edge of the plate and should curl irregularly so that they don’t lie neatly and flat next to each other. Remove the seeds from the pumpkin and set aside. Tear the warm pumpkin into pieces and arrange them around the ham. Scatter the pumpkin seeds and arugula over the top. Drizzle everything with good olive oil and balsamic vinegar and sprinkle with a little salt and pepper. Finally, use a vegetable peeler to shave off shavings of pecorino and garnish the salad.