delicata squash Archives - Pamela Salzman

A couple of years ago, delicata squash were nowhere to be found. Where did they come from and how did I exist on Thanksgivings past without them? They are now my favorite winter squash. Delicata squashes seem fancy, but they’re a Thanksgiving cook’s dream come true: seasonal, delicious, versatile and NO PEELING! And you can eat the skin! My favorite fall salad in the last decade is this Roasted Delicata Squash and Apple Salad. It’s on my menu again this year and I personally fill up most of my dinner plate with it, I love it that much.

But last year, I taught this delicata squash side dish in my Thanksgiving classes and I had a new crush. Sweet and tender squash rounds, as pretty as can be, with a sweet-tart-crunchy-juicy relish are the perfect side next to roasted turkey. And it’s such a beautiful presentation. I could even do without cranberry sauce and just eat this relish. I don’t normally mention nutrition too much when discussing Thanksgiving because it’s the one day I let that go. But this dish is definitely lighter fare and tops in vitamins, fiber and antioxidants.

And it makes the best leftovers! The next day I chop up the squash and toss it with the relish and either put it on top of greens or quinoa. A little feta is nice, too. Whereas some Thanksgiving recipes are one-hit wonders, this one I can make all fall for weeknight dinners or dinner parties.

Here’s your game plan:

Seed pomegranate 2 days before and refrigerate.

Wash, dry and cut squash the day before and refrigerate.

Make relish day the day before and refrigerate.

Roast squash before the turkey goes in the oven and allow to sit at room temperature until serving. Then you’re just assembling right before dinner.

Tune in on Thursday for another planning post — 2 weeks and counting!

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Roasted Delicata Squash with Pomegranate-Pistachio Relish Recipe

Serves: 6

Ingredients

2 Delicata squash, washed well and cut into rings*
2 Tablespoons unrefined coconut oil, melted
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Relish: (this makes a lot)
2 Tablespoons unrefined, cold-pressed olive oil
2 Tablespoons unfiltered apple cider vinegar or pomegranate molasses
½ teaspoon sea salt
1 cup pomegranate seeds
½ cup pistachio nuts, toasted
¼ cup dried currants
2 small shallots, chopped
3 Tablespoons fresh mint, chopped

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
Place the squash rings on the baking sheets and brush with melted coconut oil on both sides. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast until tender, approximately 20-30 minutes.
While squash is roasting, assemble relish. Whisk the oil, vinegar, and salt together in a medium bowl, add remaining ingredients and toss to combine.
Arrange the squash rings on a platter so they are overlapping, and spoon relish mixture on top. Serve immediately or at room temperature.

Notes

*To cut delicata into rings, cut in half crosswise through the middle of the squash. Using a spoon, scoop out the seeds from each half, creating a hollow cavity. Cut crosswise into ¼” rings.

roasted delicata squash with pomegranate - pistachio relish | pamela salzman

Oh, I know your Thanksgiving menu is probably planned and I think that is great! I actually had no intention of trying to convince you today, this late in the game, that you absolutely must include such and such recipe on your holiday table. I know you’re committed and that’s that. But for the rest of you slackers, it’s your lucky day! This is your Thanksgiving salad. Period. I have taught it umpteen times already this month, with another class to go and I am more obsessed with it than ever. I think this salad actually makes turkey taste better!! Make some room on that menu!

Delicata squash should be nicknamed “THE Thanksgiving squash” because it’s seasonal, adorable, and minimal work. You don’t peel it! You eat the skin! It tastes amazing! How much do you love me right now? Forget butternut squash this year. Give yourself a break and go with delicata. I have no idea if you can find it where you live, but in Southern California it’s all over the place at every supermarket, farmers market and Trader Joe’s. Sometimes it’s off-white with yellow stripes, sometimes pale yellow with orange and lots of in-betweens.

As much as I love delicata squash, my favorite part of this salad just might be the big wedges of roasted apples. Pink Ladies are my favorite and I think are perfect here, but Honeycrisp, Fuji, Jonagold are all great, too. Granny Smith is a little too tart in my opinion. Leave the peel on to not only make your life easier, but I think the apples look prettier that way and hold their shape better.

Here’s your game plan for this salad:

make the dressing this weekend and store in a glass jar with a lid in the refrigerator
wash and dry your salad greens on Tuesday and store in the refrigerator
if you are using nuts or pumpkin seeds, toast them Tuesday and store at room temperature
wash, seed and cut delicata squash into slices on Wednesday and store in a container or ziploc in the refrigerator
shave Manchego cheese with a vegetable peeler and store in the refrigerator in a tightly sealed container
Thursday morning you can roast the delicate squash and apples and take the dressing out of the refrigerator to bring to room temp; store cooked squash and apples at room temp until dinnertime
right before carving the turkey, assemble and dress the salad!

Have an amazing Thanksgiving!!!

5.0 from 2 reviews

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Roasted Delicata Squash and Apple Salad

Author: Pamela

Serves: 6

Ingredients

2 delicata squash, washed but not peeled, cut in half lengthwise, seeds removed, and cut into ½-inch slices
2 large apples, cored, sliced into ½-inch slices (I cut them crosswise)
3 Tablespoons olive oil or unrefined coconut oil, melted
1 Tablespoon pure maple syrup
1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary (optional, but I think it’s delicious)
1 teaspoon sea salt
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
10 cups mixed greens including some bitter varieties such as radicchio and/or arugula
Dressing:
2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar, preferably raw
5 Tablespoons unrefined, cold-pressed extra-virgin olive oil
¾ teaspoon Dijon mustard
½ teaspoon sea salt
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 teaspoons pure maple syrup
Toppings: shaved manchego cheese, ½ cup buttered and salted toasted pecans or toasted, salted pumpkin seeds

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
Place the squash and apples in a large bowl and add the melted coconut oil and 1 Tablespoon maple syrup. Toss to coat. (You can also add the apples to the salad raw instead of roasted.)
Place the apples and squash in one layer on the baking sheets and sprinkle with rosemary, salt and pepper. Roast until tender, approximately 20-30 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.
For the dressing: in a small bowl or screw top jar combine apple cider vinegar, olive oil, Dijon, salt, pepper and maple syrup and whisk or shake to combine. You may have more dressing than you need for this recipe.
Place salad greens on a platter and toss with enough dressing to coat lightly. Separately drizzle the squash and apples with some dressing and add to the greens. Sprinkle with any desired toppings. Taste for salt and pepper and serve.

apples delicata squash manchego cheese pumpkin seeds