What a Feast!

A couple of years ago I hosted a Halloween luncheon for my PEPS (Program for Early Parent Support) group. It was a potluck so everyone brought something yummy to share. One of the moms brought this fabulous Roasted Squash salad and it has been my favorite fall salad ever since. Fortunately it wasn’t a secret family recipe so she shared it with the group immediately. I made it tonight and served it with roasted chicken. After dinner, my husband exclaimed "Wow, what a feast!"

I am a visual learner. When reading a recipe, I sometimes miss an important step. So here is the recipe, with visual aids.

Bon appetit!

Roasted Delicata Squash Salad with Greens and Toasted Almond Dressing

1.    Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

2.    Peel and seed 1 delicata squash and then cut into ½ inch cubes.

3.    Toss squash with 1½ TBS olive oil in a shallow baking pan and season with salt and pepper.

I love this non-stick Silpat pan liner, made in France, of course!

4.    Roast stirring once, about 30 minutes.

5.    Coarsely chop ½ cup whole almonds, then add them to a skillet with 4 TBS olive oil.

This Lamson Sharp Knife is the best! My mother-in-law is a kitchen designer and she turned me on to this brand. They are the best knives I have ever used.

6.    Cook almonds over medium low heat stirring often until golden, about 3 minutes, then put a strainer into a large salad bowl and strain the almonds and reserve the oil. Set aside both to cool.

7.    Leave the rubber band on 1-2 bunches of arugula and cut into thirds, discarding the rubber banded stem ends. (I used the pre-washed bagged arugula from Trader Joe’s.)

8.    Clean and stem ½ bunch of spinach, if using only 1 bunch of arugula.  (I didn’t have spinach so I replaced it with romaine for crunch.)

9.    When the oil is cool, whisk in 2 tsp fresh lemon juice and season with salt and pepper.

10.    Add the squash and half the almonds to the dressing and toss to coat.

 

11.    Then add the arugula/spinach and toss again gently.

12.    Sprinkle with remaining almonds. Enjoy!

Please note: This salad is best enjoyed with a good glass of red wine!





Recipe courtesy of Helsing Junction Farm CSA.