Winter Squash Salad with Farro & Cider Vinaigrette
This post is sponsored by Amity Vineyards. All opinions are my own.
Whelp folks, we’ve got just over a week until Thanksgiving and I thought I’d share this festive autumn salad with you. This is a great side dish for the holidays because it’s light, flavorful and packed with seasonal veggies to keep you feeling energized and feeling good. The apple cider vinaigrette is a great dressing to keep on hand for other salads throughout the fall and winter. It tastes great drizzled over roasted veggies, tossed with simple greens or mixed with hearty grains like rice, farro, wheat berries or quinoa. The flavors in this side dish pair really well with a light Pinot Noir like the one we used here from my friends Amity Vineyards. I hope you all get to relax a bit in the next coming weeks with good company, great food and lovely wine.
Cheers from Tumbleweed Farm
Winter Squash Salad with Farro & Cider Vinaigrette
Prep Time: 20 minutes Cook Time: 45 minutes Serves: 6
Cider Vinaigrette- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 2 tsp Dijon style mustard
- 1 Tablespoon honey
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- pinch of fine sea salt
- 1 large or 2 medium sized winter squash such as delicata, acorn, butternut or sugar pumpkin (about 2 pounds) cut into 1/2 inch chunks or slices (no need to peel)
- olive oil
- salt and pepper
- 1 cup farro
- 1 large bunch of kale, tough stems discarded and torn into bite size pieces (or collard greens, tough stems discarded and very thinly sliced)
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
- 1/2 cup lightly toasted walnuts, crumbled
- salt and pepper to taste
Preparation
- Prepare the dressing by placing all of the ingredients in a jar secured with a lid. Shake until well combined. Taste test and adjust seasonings if need be.
- Preheat the oven to 400F. Toss the squash with a little olive oil to coat and place on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper and roast until golden brown and tender. About 30-40 minutes. Toss halfway through cooking.
- While squash is roasting, cook farro in a large pot of simmering salted water until the grains are tender but chewy, about 30 minutes. (Since there are so many varieties of farro, however, if your package suggests a longer or shorter cooking time, it’s best to defer to its suggestion.) Drain the cooked farro and cool slightly.
- In a large bowl add the kale and drizzzle with half of the dressing. Use your hands to massage the dressing into the leaves until they become tender and bright green.
- Add the cooked farro and squash to the bowl. Top with the cranberries and walnuts. Drizzle with the remaining dressing and season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Serve warm, at room temperature or cooled.
Notes
Use this recipe as a guide and adjust measurements and ingredients as necessary