I'm sorry I posted a picture of yummy food without a recipe. I've been informed that's against the rules, so I will do my best.
I consider this dish one of my guilty pleasures, which I realize is a little silly, since it's a salad based on a whole grain and winter squash. Pretty virtuous, as far as guilty pleasures go. It's delicious, comforting, healthy, and tastes like fall. It's exactly what my bottomless pit of a nursing appetite craves.
But it has several elements that need to be cooked separately. Nothing unreasonable, but it can seem a little extravagant when you're the only one in the house who likes it. (Silly boys.) So I sneak the squash in with my prep one night, the rice the next, stashing the ingredients in the fridge until I have my “Mama food” all ready to go.
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| I really just have the one photo of the salad, so it's baby pictures from here on out. |
Insofar as there is a recipe, it's this one from Smitten Kitchen: Butternut Squash Salad with Farro and Pepitas.
I'm sure it's delicious as written — Deb has never led me astray — but I've never actually made it that way. I do use it as a template for my own version, which technically only has the squash in common with hers, though in spirit it's very much the same. Here's what I do, in not-quite-recipe form (it's really more of a list of ingredients than anything else. If you want more specific directions or amounts, you're in good hands with Deb!):
Roasted Squash. Peeled, seeded, cut into little cubes, tossed with olive oil and salt, and a bit of fresh sage if I have it, because sage and squash are soulmates. Roast at 375* (or whatever similar temperature you already have the oven at for some other reason. Go ahead and roast the squash now, and then it'll be ready when you need it!) until tender and starting to get a little brown and crispy along the edges.
(Auntie Leila would say that you should roast it partway while it's still whole, and then it's much easier to peel and cut. She's probably right, because she usually is.)
I used just a little bitty butternut this time around, and half a cup (uncooked) of rice, and I wished I had gotten a bigger squash. Worst case scenario you end up with delicious leftovers, the kind of leftovers that taste just as good as the first day.
Brown Rice. Or whatever you have that's grainy and nutty. Again, you can cook it early so it's ready when you want to put the salad together.
Feta Cheese. If you live within hailing distance of Trader Joe's, they sell what is hands down the best feta cheese I've ever tasted. It's called Pastures of Eden, and comes in green-and-yellow packaging. It's made from sheep's milk and is creamy, crumbly, and delicious. Ordinary, grocery store feta will never seem adequate again.
That said, the nearest Trader Joe's is three hours away, so I just used the grocery store stuff. I survived.
Bacon. The vegetarian version of this salad is delicious. Will it be even better if you manage to squirrel away some bacon to toss in? Naturally.What salad wouldn't be?
Dried Cranberries.
Green Onion. A healthy bunch — you do want that oniony bite to come through. Chop up the green part and then mpress your friends and/or preschoolers by regrowing them from the roots in a glass of water.
Almonds. Chopped. Toasted if you're not too impatient, which I usually am.
Dressing. I've done different things, but this time was the simplest: whisk together (or shake in a jar) about equal parts cider vinegar and apple juice, plus a little less olive oil and a little dollop of dijon mustard. A little salt and pepper. You don't need much dressing — just enough to coat everything and give it a tangy-sweet cohesiveness.
Toss it all together in a big bowl and taste to check the seasoning. It's still just as delicious the next day, so go ahead and make it ahead of time — maybe just add the nuts before serving so they don't lose their crunch. But I usually make a batch and eat it all through the week. It keeps.
