Fall Salad with Butternut Squash, Apples, and Blue Cheese

I’m starting to miss fall. Winter, I don’t mind skipping – bitter cold and biting wind, all the color sucked out of everything, and root vegetables and leafy greens the only thing in season (and even those shipped from milder climates further south). But fall is pleasantly cool with gorgeously tinted leaves and matching squashes of various shapes and sizes, driving an hour or two to taste crisp apples straight from the tree, and cinnamon-scented everything. I’ve been craving seasonal fall dishes. So I decided, despite the rising temperatures here, to put together this fall salad. Everything was easily available here (except for the radicchio called for in the original recipe which I chose to replace with red cabbage, for color, and arugula, for bite), and the end result has a great mix of flavors and textures. Butternut squash roasted with brown sugar for extra sweetness and ancho chile powder for spice, as well as sweetness from a honey garlic vinaigrette and apple slices, but all balanced by spicy arugula and crisp cabbage, the crunch of pepitas, and the funkiness of blue cheese. Not quite your typical fall salad, but a great remedy for my homesick self.

Fall Salad with Butternut Squash, Apples, and Blue Cheese (adapted from Kitchenette)
Yield: 2 – 3 servings as an entree, 4 – 6 servings as a side

Ingredients:

• 1 (3-lb) butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1″ cubes
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 1/2 Tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tsp ancho chile powder*
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 red cabbage, roughly chopped
• 1 small bunch arugula, torn into pieces
• 1 apple, thinly sliced
• 2 Tbsp honey garlic vinaigrette (see below)
• 1/4 cup pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
• 1 ounce blue cheese, crumbled

*I like ancho for the smokiness, but you can substitute with your favorite ground chiles.

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 400 °F.
2. On a baking sheet or in a roasting pan, toss 1 (3-lb) butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1″ cubes with 2 Tbsp olive oil, 1 1/2 Tbsp brown sugar, 1 tsp ancho chile powder, and 1 tsp kosher salt.
3. Roast, stirring every 10 minutes, until the squash can be easily pierced with a fork, about 25 – 30 minutes. Remove from oven, and let cool slightly.
4. Transfer the squash to a large bowl, and mix with 1/4 red cabbage, roughly chopped.
5. Add 1 small bunch arugula, torn into pieces, 1 apple, thinly sliced and 2 Tbsp honey garlic vinaigrette, and toss to combine. Taste, and add more vinaigrette as needed.
6. Top with 1/4 cup pepitas (pumpkin seeds) and 1 ounce blue cheese, crumbled, and serve immediately.

Honey Garlic Vinaigrette
Yield: 1/4 cup vinaigrette

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1 Tbsp honey
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• salt and pepper, to taste

Method:

1. In a small bowl, add 2 Tbsp red wine vinegar, 1 Tbsp honey, and 1 clove garlic, minced. Whisk briefly to combine.
2. Slowly drizzle in 2 Tbsp cup olive oil, whisking constantly to create an emulsion. Add salt and pepper, to taste, and adjust ingredients, if needed. Let sit five minutes before using to mellow the garlic.