Kale Squash Winter Salad
SKU:
A salad so vibrantly fun and pretty that is also just plain tasty. Snappy kale, the crackle of nuts and pomegranate, and a puckery pop of a lemon mustard dressing.
Adapted from Epicurious
Adapted from Epicurious
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Ingredients
|
1 large butternut squash (about 3 pounds), peeled cut into 3/4" cubes, OR
One box of peeled, cut butternut squash (20 ounces) About ⅓ cup of olive oil, plus a few pours here and there for roasting Hawaiian salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste |
Dressing
1 head garlic of roasted (the whole head, not individual cloves, see instructions) Juice from one lemon 2t maple syrup 2T Dijon or brown mustard 1 small shallot, finely chopped 1 large bunch of kale, stemmed, leaves thinly sliced ½ cup pistachios, almonds, or pine nuts (optional) One package of pomegranate seeds. The precise term is pomegranate arils. (8 ounces) ½ cup (1-2 handfuls) shredded or shaves Parmesan cheese |
What To Do
Pre-heat oven to 425°F. Line a dinner plate with paper towels as prep for cooling the roasted squash. Seed the pomegranate and set aside in a small bowl.
Pour a bit of olive oil on a rimmed baking sheet. Toss cut squash on the sheet and coat with oil on all sides. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and lay on the baking sheet ideally with none of the squash pieces touching each other and definitely in a single layer.
Wrap the garlic in foil, and before sealing it, drizzle a bit, maybe ½ a teaspoon, over the garlic and seal it up. Put it in the middle or the baking sheet with its squash comrades.
Roast squash and garlic. After 15-20 minutes, flip the squash so that other sides will brown and caramelize. Roast for about 40 minutes, longer if you want a browner crust on the squash. Set the squash on paper toweled-plate you prepped to drain and cool.
When the garlic has cooled, cut the top off and squeeze what will look like garlic toothpaste into a mixing bowl. Whisk in the lemon juice, maple syrup, mustard, shallot, salt and pepper to taste. Add up to ⅓ cup of olive oil and mix well to keep the dressing held together.
Throw kale into a large salad bowl. Pour a little more than half of the dressing over the kale and toss well. It helps to do this with your hands because it will flavor and soften the kale quite a bit. Taste as you go, and add more dressing per your taste preference.
Right before serving, add roasted squash, nuts, pomegranate seeds and Parmesan cheese to the salad bowl with kale. Toss lightly to combine and serve.
Pour a bit of olive oil on a rimmed baking sheet. Toss cut squash on the sheet and coat with oil on all sides. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and lay on the baking sheet ideally with none of the squash pieces touching each other and definitely in a single layer.
Wrap the garlic in foil, and before sealing it, drizzle a bit, maybe ½ a teaspoon, over the garlic and seal it up. Put it in the middle or the baking sheet with its squash comrades.
Roast squash and garlic. After 15-20 minutes, flip the squash so that other sides will brown and caramelize. Roast for about 40 minutes, longer if you want a browner crust on the squash. Set the squash on paper toweled-plate you prepped to drain and cool.
When the garlic has cooled, cut the top off and squeeze what will look like garlic toothpaste into a mixing bowl. Whisk in the lemon juice, maple syrup, mustard, shallot, salt and pepper to taste. Add up to ⅓ cup of olive oil and mix well to keep the dressing held together.
Throw kale into a large salad bowl. Pour a little more than half of the dressing over the kale and toss well. It helps to do this with your hands because it will flavor and soften the kale quite a bit. Taste as you go, and add more dressing per your taste preference.
Right before serving, add roasted squash, nuts, pomegranate seeds and Parmesan cheese to the salad bowl with kale. Toss lightly to combine and serve.
Notes and Talking Story
- The original recipe is a little heavier on oil (½ cup) and Parmesan cheese (full cup), and a small fraction of a shallot.
- It also required roasting pepitas (pumpkin seeds), which I replaced with your choice of nuts. This is because I like the more substantial presence of pistachios, almonds, or pine nuts. Also, I'm lazy.
- You can also substitute dried cranberries or dried sour cherries for pomegranate seeds.
- A hearty salad that can almost work as a meal and holds up well as a leftover.
