AUTUMN SALAD with SQUASH, FENNEL, & PLUM

I love all kinds of autumnal squash, along with other fall fruits, and vegetables. I’m also a lover of salads, and I’m always looking for ways to include my seasonal favorites into my greens.

The inspiration for this combination came about one weekend as Clay was inspired to make duck breast with prune sauce. In that duck is usually a great partner to something more sweet and sour, (like orange, cherry, plum, or in our case, prune), I thought this would be a perfect time to use my beloved squash and make it the star-of-the-show in a side salad. I paired it with shaved fennel, toasted pecans, and freshly grilled plums to balance out the the dried prunes. It was a great compliment to the duck, but would also be wonderful with roasted turkey, chicken, or pork.

*Be sure to check out the “notes” for other ideas and combinations!

Autumn Salad with Squash, Fennel, & Plum

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 35 minutes mins

Total Time 55 minutes mins

Course Salad, Side Dish

Cuisine American, American-Southern

Servings 4

Ingredients

  

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Vinaigrette

• 2 Tbsp Champagne Vinegar *See Notes for other suggestions
• 6 Tbsp Olive Oil
• Salt & Pepper to taste about a “pinch” each

Salad

• 1 Acorn Squash *See notes for other suggestions
• 1/2 Cup Pecans Roasted & Chopped
• 2 Plums Cut into quarters
• 1/2 Small Fennel Bulb Shaved on a Mandoline Slicer
• 4 Cups Arugula Or your preference of Salad Greens. *See notes for other suggestions
• 1 Tbsp Pomegranate Molasses, optional Or a handful of fresh Pomegranate Seeds, also optional
• 2 1/2 Tbsp Olive Oil, for prep- to drizzle over Squash & Plums before cooking
• Salt & Pepper, for prep- Used when cooking the Squash, and to finish.
• Large Flake Salt for finishing Like Maldon Salt

Instructions

 

Vinaigrette

• Wisk together the Champagne Vinegar, Olive Oil, and a small pinch each of Salt & Pepper until slightly “creamy” looking.

Salad

• Preheat Oven to 400°F
• SQUASH:

  Slice the Acorn Squash in half. Scoop out any seeds and discard. Lay each half Squash face down on a cutting board and slice into 1” to 1 1/2” thick slices, (approximately)

  Place the slices on a sheet pan. Drizzle 1 to 2 Tbsp of Olive Oil over the pan of sliced squash. Rub oil onto top and bottom of Squash. Follow with a sprinkling of Salt. *(You may want to line your pan with parchment or foil for easy removal and clean-up.)

  Place on the middle rack of the oven and roast for 30-35 minutes, until squash in soft and has no “resistance” when a pairing knife is inserted.

  **The Squash is intended to be warm or on the warm-side of room temperature when it is placed on the salad. If you’re doing this ahead, just reheat the previously cooked squash for 10 minutes or so before placing it on the salad.
• PECANS:

  Place the Pecans on another sheet pan and spread out evenly. Place them in the oven on a rack above the squash and toast for 8-10 minutes, until they become toasted and fragrant.

  After they are toasted, remove them from the oven and set aside to cool for about 10 minutes. When they are cooled, roughly chop them on your cutting board and set aside.

  **You can also toast the nuts in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Just keep an eye on them and stir them frequently so they toast and don’t burn.
• PLUMS:

  Place the Plum quarters in a bowl and drizzle with about 1/2 Tbsp of Olive Oil. Rub them to evenly coat.

  Place the Plum quarters on a grill, (or grill pan), and grill for about 8-10 minutes, until there are “grill marks” and the plums are slightly cooked, but not “mushy”.

  **If you don’t want to grill these, you can roast them along with the Squash. Roast them for 10-15 minutes, until slightly softened. OR, you could put them under the broiler for about 5 minutes. These methods won’t achieve the “grill marks”, but the taste will still be excellent.
• FENNEL: Shave the 1/2 Fennel Bulb and place in a bowl. Drizzle on about 2 Tbsp of Vinaigrette and mix together. Set aside until assembly. (Allow the fennel about 5-10 minutes in the vinaigrette to absorbs the flavors. )

Assembly:

• Place the Arugula or preferred greens onto a large serving plate.

  Spread 1/2 of the Fennel pieces over the Arugula.

  Place on the Squash slices, arranging them on the plate.

  Place on the Plum quarters, arranging them on the plate.

  Place on the rest of the Fennel pieces, arranging them over the salad.

  Drizzle 1-2 Tbsp of Vinaigrette over the entire salad. *(Start with 1 Tbsp and taste. Remember the fennel has been “dressed”, so you might not need as much on top. It’s a personal preference.)

  Sprinkle on the roasted and chopped Pecans

  If using, Place “drops” of Pomegranate Molasses on each of the Squash slices. OR, Sprinkle on the Pomegranate seeds for an added punch of color, texture, and flavor!

  Lightly sprinkle on a large flake finishing salt, if using.

Notes

1. VINAIGRETTE: If you don’t have Champagne vinegar, use others like Sherry, Apple Cider Vinegar, or even Lemon Juice. Also, you can use our Classic French Vinaigrette, or try other variations we’ve listed in that recipe. 

2. GREENS: You can use any one—or combination—of Salad greens you prefer. Just think about the more “sturdy” and more “bitter-tasting” ones like Arugula, Spinach or Kale. You could also mix lettuces like Romaine with these, and also add something from the Chicory family, like Radicchio, Endive, Frisée, or Escarole. **Since the squash is “sweet”, the plum “tart”, and the Pecans “unctuous”, this combination needs the “bitter” to round out the flavors. 

3. SQUASH: You could use other squash like Butternut or Kabocha. You could also use Sweet Potatoes. Any of your favorites will work. If you don’t want to cut them into slices, cubes would work too. Whatever you choose, just check them while cooking, as the cooking time may vary depending upon the squash and the size you cut them. 

4. NUTS: Feel free to change up the nuts too. Hazelnuts, Almonds, Walnuts, Pistachios, or Pine Nuts would all be good. 

5. “EXTRAS”: We have Pomegranate Molasses in our pantry, and like the tartness & color it adds, so we used it.  Pomegranate Seeds would also be beautiful on this salad. If you don’t have fresh Pomegranate Seeds you could use dried cranberries, blueberries, cherries, or golden raisins.  A bit of Orange Zest would also be pretty-and tasty! And, if you want to add a bit of a “kick”, chop a couple of Calabrian chilies and place them around, (or you could just have them on the table for those who want the “kick”). 

Keyword Fennel, Plum, Salad, Squash

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