Ready to switch things up for dinner? Try this recipe for a raw butternut squash salad with smoky chiles, pomegranate, and lots of seeds from the new cookbook, Everyone’s Table: Global Recipes for Modern Health.
Find the recipe for raw butternut squash salad with smoky chiles, pomegranate, and lots of seeds below.
Serves 4-6
If you’ve never tried butternut squash raw, prepare to retire your sheet pan. While it’s typically served roasted, the fall staple is delicious uncooked, earthy and sweet with a delicate crunch. I toss it with crisp apples and Asian pears; dress it with a smoky, tangy vinaigrette; then pile on the texture with pomegranate, pumpkin, and hemp seeds. A mandoline slicer, a fancy one or a cheap one, makes the prep a breeze.
Note that the solid top of butternut squash is far easier to julienne on the mandoline than the hollow base. So I tend to use the top for this preparation and save the bottom for soup.
Directions for the dressing:
2 dried chipotle chiles, stemmed
1 medium garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup white wine vinegar
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Directions for the salad:
1/4 cup hulled raw hemp seeds
4 cups julienned (21/2 x 1/8 inch) peeled butternut squash
2 large apples, cored and julienned (21/2 x 1/8 inch)
2 large Asian pears, cored and julienned (21/2 x 1/8 inch)
3 scallion whites, thinly sliced
2 teaspoons flaky sea salt
1/4 cup pomegranate seeds
1/4 cup unsalted roasted pepitas (hulled pumpkin seeds)
Large handful basil leaves
Make the dressing:
In a small bowl, soak the chipotles in hot tap water until softened, about 20 minutes. In the meantime, put the garlic in a small bowl, sprinkle on the kosher salt, and set aside while the chipotles soak. Once the chipotles are soft, drain them (discarding the water), mince them, and scrape them into the bowl with the garlic. Add the vinegar and oil and give it a good whisk. It keeps in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. Whisk well before using.
Make the salad:
Put the hemp seeds in a small skillet, set it over high heat, and toast, stirring every 30 seconds or so, until golden, about 3 minutes. Set aside to cool. Combine the squash, apples, pears, scallion whites, and flaky salt in a large mixing bowl. Give the dressing another good whisk, then pour it into the bowl and toss really well to coat the ingredients in the dressing. Transfer to a serving platter, sprinkle on the hemp seeds, pomegranate seeds, pepitas, and basil. Serve right away.
From the book EVERYONE’S TABLE by Gregory Gourdet and JJ Goode. Copyright © 2021 by Gregory Gourdet and JJ Goode. Published by Harper Wave, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers. Reprinted by permission. Photos by Eva Kosmas Flores.
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