Balkabaklı Nohut | Turkish Chickpea Pumpkin Salad

Preheat the oven to 200 °C top/bottom heat. Thoroughly wash the Hokkaido pumpkin, cut it in half, deseed it, and cut into bite-sized cubes of approx. 1.5 cm (the skin of Hokkaido pumpkin is edible). Spread the pumpkin cubes on a baking tray lined with baking paper, drizzle with 1 tbsp of olive oil, and season with half of the ground cumin as well as some salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for approx. 20 to 25 minutes until golden brown and tender. Then allow to cool slightly.

Drain the chickpeas in a sieve, rinse thoroughly with cold water, and drain well. Peel the red onion, cut in half, and slice into thin half-rings. Wash the parsley and mint, shake dry, pick the leaves, and finely chop.

For the velvety dressing, squeeze the juice of the lemon. Peel the garlic and grate finely or mince. In a bowl, whisk together the tahini, lemon juice, minced garlic, the remaining 2 tbsp of olive oil, the remaining cumin, salt, and pepper. If needed, stir in 2–3 tbsp of cold water one tablespoon at a time until a wonderfully creamy, smooth consistency is achieved.