Preparation

• First prepare the onion: slice it thinly, put it in a bowl and cover it with cold water, change the water a couple of times, then leave it to soak in water and vinegar (three tablespoons, or more if desired) for about 15 minutes.

  I made a mix of red onion and golden onion, both are excellent for this recipe.

  The first few times I made this salad, I sliced the onion very thin with the food processor disc. This time I sliced it with a knife and it was less thin. Or you can choose, it’s great both ways.

  

• Peel the pumpkin, cut it into pieces, place the pieces in a microwave-safe container, cover the container with the lid, and cook at maximum power for 3 and a half minutes.

  👉 For more info on cooking pumpkin in the microwave, you can delve HERE.

  Peel the potato (200 g is equivalent to a medium potato), cut it into pieces, place the pieces in a microwave-safe container, cover the container with the lid, and cook at maximum power for 4 minutes.

  👉 For more info on cooking potatoes in the microwave, you can delve HERE.

  It is advisable to cook potatoes and pumpkin separately as the yield is not similar, although the cooking time is more or less the same. In my experience, the very precise times sometimes indicated for microwave cooking are not always reliable, as the differences (of a minute, half a minute, depends) can be due to variables like the size of the pieces, the variety of pumpkin, the age of the potatoes, etc.

  That’s why, although in general 200 g of both pumpkin and potatoes cook in 4 minutes, this time 3 and a half minutes were enough for the pumpkin.

  As I always suggest, it’s good to set an initial cooking time that is shorter (for example 2 minutes), check, stir the pieces, and then start again.

  Finally and as always, a post-cooking rest time is useful (I use 3 minutes).

  

• Drain the onion from the water and vinegar soak, pat it dry with kitchen paper or a clean napkin.

  Assemble the dish: combine the pieces of potato and pumpkin (still warm or lukewarm) in a bowl and cover them with the onion.

  

• Prepare the mustard citronette:

  In a small bowl, emulsify a heaping teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil with a scant teaspoon of mustard and a teaspoon of lemon juice (these are the precise quantities I used, which can naturally be adapted to your own taste).

  To emulsify, mix well with a teaspoon, or even better use a frother type whisk:

  

• Pour this simple dressing over pumpkin and potatoes (warm) and onion (cold).

  Mix quickly and eat immediately. 🙂

  ADVICE: 

  This salad gives its best when the pumpkin and potatoes are warm: the contrast between warm and soft potatoes and pumpkin, and the cold and crunchy onion, and the contrast between the vinegar flavor the onion is soaked in and the taste and aroma of mustard, make this salad special.

  The potatoes and pumpkin with their warmth spread the aroma of mustard, which reaches the nostrils and…

  …ahhh poetry take me away! 😀 But you have understood that a taste is essential, haven’t you? 😋

  

• This warm pumpkin and onion salad is perfect for those on a diet: pumpkin and onion provide fiber, minerals, and vitamins, the potato covers the carbohydrate needs, and the fat is included: all for only 5.2 points. With the addition of an adequate portion of protein (for example, an egg), the meal is complete and satisfying.