Jeweled Winter Squash and Bitter Greens Salad

This is the first installation of my 1000 calorie salad series. To be completely transparent, this is missing one very important component…protein, but that can be easily added.

What’s a 1000 calorie salad? It all started with my good friend Joe…he pinned the term for any salad that is an entire meal in itself. There are some components that I feel are essential to count as a 1000 calorie salad. It must have a combination of greens, vegetables, and /or fruit (dried or fresh), something crunchy like nuts, seeds, or croutons, protein (beans are included in this category), cheese (optional), a vinaigrette or dressing, and bonus points for a grain.

When the weather starts to cool down and the winter squash selection in the markets starts to increase, I start thinking about this combination of roasted squash, hearty bitter greens, dried fruits, pomegranate, and cheese. It’s all the tart, savory, nutty, sweet, and tangy you want in a winter salad. Over the years I have done this salad in numerous different combinations, so change this up as often as you want and include all of your favorite items.

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Any winter squash and combination of hearty bitter greens will work for this salad, choose what you love the best. My favorite squash is Delicata, here I used Carnival Squash (it came in my produce box), but you could also simply use Butternut squash, Acorn, Kabocha, or Kuri. I am obsessed with bitter greens, I love the peppery bite they give, they have great texture and hold up well to vinaigrettes without getting soggy. Some of my preferred are Lacinato Kale, Escarole, and any form of Radicchio. Here I am using Kale, and two types of Radicchio. If you aren’t a fan of those use any green you love, I would suggest staying away from really delicate greens that wilt at the sight of heat or dressing.

Your choices don’t end there, I love dried cherries and they are my first choice, but sub-dried cranberries, chopped dried apricots, or any other dried fruit you love. Hazelnuts made the cut here, but I also love pistachios, walnuts would also be a good choice. You could also sub a seed or buttery bread crumbs would be lovely.

Some hearty greens you can treat like any salad lettuces, tear or chop to your desired size, toss and dress, but some benefit from a little extra care. Kale likes to be massaged with salt and left to relax and soften. Wash and remove the spines from the kale leaves, tear them into 1 1/2 inch pieces. Sprinkle with a generous amount of salt and massage and squeeze the salt in the kale leaves. Let rest in a colander over a bowl or sink. The kale will soften and release some water. The texture will change from that raw kale texture to a slightly chewy just barely cooked mouthfeel.

While your greens are drying and resting, prep your squash. If you are using Delicata Squash there is no need to peel, it is tender and will soften as it roasts. Other squashes will benefit from a good peel. Roast at 425º until just fork tender. Don’t not overcook or the squash will turn to mush in your salad.

For the vinaigrette, use this as a guideline. Change up the jam for your favorite, add or subtract the mustard and use your preferred vinegar. This version has grainy mustard, sour cherry jam, lemon zest, and white balsamic vinegar. I have used apricot jam and sherry vinegar in previous versions.

I am a huge fan of cheese on my salad, especially a 1000 calorie salad. Here I went with shavings of Parmigiano Reggiano, but I would not turn down some dollops of tangy goat cheese, shavings of sheep’s milk Manchego, or some smears of fresh ricotta. I hope you mix and match and find your favorite combinations.