Sunday, January 1, 2012

Cook: Roasted Butternut Squash Salad with Warm Cider Vinaigrette

This is a gorgeous and hearty salad, perfect for fall or winter.  I made this salad for our new years eve dinner last night, and it was a big hit! I have many fantastic recipes to share in 2012, so be sure to keep checking back on the blog!

This salad recipe another gem by Ina Garten.  The only modification I made was a little less oil in the dressing. Here is the recipe I used which is doubled to serve 8-10 (party size)  To make it for 4, you can follow the original recipe here (but reduce the oil in the dressing by half).

Ingredients:

  • 2 lb butternut squash already peeled and cubed (we then cut the pieces in half again so they were more like 1 in by 0.5 in)
  • olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
  • kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 6 tablespoons dried cranberries
  • 1 1/2 cup apple cider or apple juice
  • 4 tablespoons cider vinegar
  • 4 tablespoons minced shallots
  • 4 teaspoons dijon mustard
  • 8 oz baby arugula 
  • 1 cup walnut halves toasted
  • 1 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan
    Directions:
    1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F
    2. In a bowl, mix cut butternut squash with 4 tablespoons olive oil, maple syrup, 2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon pepper, toss to coat squash evenly.  
    3. Spread squash on a sheet pan. Roast for 15-20 minutes, turning once, until tender. Add the cranberries to the pan for the last 5 minutes
    4. While squash is roasting, combine the apple cider, vinegar and shallots in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium high heat. cook for 10 min (I think mine took longer) until cider is reduced to 1/3 it's original volume (1/2 cup)
    5. Remove saucepan from heat and whisk in the mustard, 1/2 cup olive oil, 2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon pepper
    6. Place arugula in a large salad bowl and add the roasted squash mixture, walnuts and grated parmesan.  Spoon just enough vinaigrette over the salad to moisten and toss.  Season / sprinkle with salt and pepper and serve!
      Wishing everyone a  Delicious and Happy New Year!!!

      No comments:

      Post a Comment