Cook with Us #6 - Roasted garlic, pumpkin and beetroot salad with couscous and honey mustard dressing.

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Happy Tuesday!

HUGE thanks to @chefsteve , @pandamama and @offoodandart from the Cook With Us team for hosting this.

If you haven't checked out the contest yet- head on down to @cookwithus for epic recipes and an awesome community of foodies sharing recipes and generally getting inspired.

For my salad entry, I had to share this one.
A little history:

My Beef With The Beet.

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** A hazy representation of angry childhood memories.

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I was that neurotic kid who wouldn't eat if my food touched on the plate.
While I took every care to separate them completely, I couldn't compete with my greatest culinary nemesis: Beetroot. The magenta juices would inevitably stain everything around it- including my 'best for last' bite: The Potato.

While kids around the world waged war with the Brussels Sprout, my beef was with the beet.
My gran (A former chef) tried everything to convince me- she grated them into chocolate pancakes and red velvet cupcakes, or liquefied them in an attempt to pass it off as a jus. No dice. I'd spot the colour immediately and push away the plate with no regard for the flavour.

I happily went about life sans the purple enemy for years. That is, until THE WEDDING.

Being the youngest of all my cousins, I was still a kid when the weddings started. Being the smallest- and dare I say cutest- I was selected as flower girl. The frilly dress and basket of petals afforded me a position none of the other kids had:

I got to sit with the grownups.

My mom instructed me to behave. I swore to do my level best.
Under the jealous glares of the other kids, I happily spooned the first course of butternut soup in.
I was a hit, other cousins pinched my cheeks and aunts and uncles cooed at how graceful my petal-throwing went. I'd be flower girl numero uno for years!

That is, until the mains came out.
I could smell the warm aroma of lamb spit roasted with rosemary and garlic.
The buttery luxury of mashed potatoes.

I sat up eagerly as my plate was set down. Then my heart sank: Sitting ominously, right next to my snowy mash were several chunks of the enemy: The Beet had returned to finish me off once and for all.

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I looked up at my mom with a plea for rescue. She responded with that eyebrow raise all moms have in their arsenal: 'You be polite and eat that OR ELSE.'

(** Not my real mom)

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I briefly considered retiring as a flower girl for good. Then I noticed something: The beets weren't bleeding into my mash. They smelled of honey and mustard and the edges were slightly charred and sticky looking. They looked...good.

My gran shook her head when I told her about it. Roasting. She'd never thought to roast them, sealing in the edges to keep in all the goodness and save them from tarnishing the purity of the potato.

The mustard glaze had me, and I called off the war.

Now that the Beet and I are friendly, here's how I serve it now.

Ingredients

*Serves 4

To Roast:

• 150 grams Pumpkin
• 150 grams Beetroot
• 1 Head of Garlic
• 1 White Onion
• 50ml Olive oil
• 1Tbsp English Mustard
• 2 Tbsp Raw Honey
• 1 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
• 1 tsp Dried Rosemary
• Juice of 1 Lemon
  Salt and Black Pepper to season.

Couscous Base:

• 1 cup quick Couscous
• 1 1/2 Cups Chicken Stock
• 1 tsp English Mustard
• 1 tsp Olive Oil
• 1/4 tsp Ground White Pepper

Toppings:

• 1 Tbsp Sesame Seeds
• 1 Tbsp Sunflower Seeds
• 1 Tbsp Pumpkin Seeds
• 1Tsp Dried Chili Flakes
• 1 Cup Fresh Rocket
• 1/2 Cup Basil Leaves
• 50 grams Danish Feta

1. Preheat oven to 200 Celcius.
2. Peel and slice pumpkin and beetroot, peel and quarter onion and place them in a roasting pan separately with the whole head of garlic.
3. Mix olive oil, honey, balsamic, rosemary and mustard and drizzle all over veggies. Season with salt and pepper and roast for 20-30 minutes or until veggies are tender and slightly browned on the edges. Peel the sweet, roasty garlic and slice the cloves into slivers. Squeeze lemon juice over the lot and set aside.
4. Toast couscous over a low heat in olive oil until nutty and aromatic.
5. Bring chicken stock, mustard and pepper to a rolling boil and pour over warmed couscous, turn of heat and cover with a lid to steam for 10 minutes.
6. Fluff with a fork and spoon into one large bowl, or 4 separate bowls. Top with roasted veggies and keep roasting liquids as a dressing.
7. Break up feta roughly and sprinkle over salad with remaining toppings. Serve warm with a drizzle of roasting liquids.

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Side note: See the pretty Couscous?? No stains!