Crispy Winter Greens Salad with Delicata Squash
A hearty, nutritious, and probiotic-filled Sunday night salad featuring the sweetness of winter’s wonder, Delicata squash. The silky flavor plays nicely with the bitterness of winter greens and the crispy, salty pancetta and toasted nuts create a symphony of textures alongside the wildbrine Caraway Apple Kraut. While perfect as a side dish to your favorite protein, this salad will gladly accept some beans or grains for a light but filling solo dish. Pro tip: The cooked parts of this recipe can be made in advance and then just tossed together the day of.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED
6 pieces pancetta or 4 slices bacon
1 Delicata squash
1 head frisée
1 head radicchio
1 bunch spinach (about 2 cups cleaned), roughly chopped
1 c. wildbrine Caraway Apple Kraut, drained, liquid reserved and set aside
¼ c. wildbrine Caraway Apple Kraut liquid
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. pepper
¾ c. olive oil
Salt and pepper
1 c. or 4 oz. pecans, toasted*
PREP
For Pancetta:
Preheat oven to 375°F. Lay the pancetta out onto a baking sheet and roast in the oven until crispy, between 5 and 12 minutes. Remove from oven. Reserve the baking sheet with the pancetta drippings for cooking the squash. Place the crispy pancetta on a towel to remove extra grease. If using bacon, cooking time may take longer.
For Squash:
Increase oven heat to 425°F. While the pancetta is cooking, trim both ends of the Delicata squash. Stand the squash up on the larger cut side and, using a chef’s knife, slice it lengthwise, down through the center of the squash, creating two even halves. Use a soup spoon to scrape out and discard seeds and any fibrous flesh. Place the squash halves cut-side down on a cutting board and cut each half crosswise into ¼-½ inch, half-moon slices. Transfer slices to a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, and toss to coat with salt, pepper, and remaining pancetta drippings. Roast until squash slices are golden brown on the bottom, about 12 minutes. Use tongs to flip each slice. Rotate baking sheet 180 degrees, return it to oven, and continue to roast until second side is golden brown, about 10 minutes. Remove baking sheet from oven and allow to cool.
TIME
1 hour, total
YIELDS
6 sides salads or 2 dinner salads
DIRECTIONS
Prepare Greens:
- Start by removing any outer leaves from the radicchio that look wilted or undesirable. Next, cut the radicchio in half so that the stem is sliced in half lengthwise. From here, you can see the “V” shaped stem in the middle of each half. Remove it by cutting it out at an angle. Once the stem is removed, slice into 1-inch pieces. Wash, rinse, and dry.
- For the frisée,, take the head of greens and chop off all the green leaves. Set aside for a separate use at a later date. Take the center yellow leaves and trim these from the base. Rinse, dry, and set aside for use in this salad.
- Clean spinach if not already rinsed and rough chop. Set aside.
Make Dressing:
Place WB kraut liquid into a small mason jar. Add the oil and a large pinch of salt. Place lid on jar and tighten. Shake vigorously to combine. Set aside.
Assemble Salad:
Place the drained kraut and all winter greens in a large bowl. Dress with desired amount of dressing. Taste and adjust seasoning. Add the roasted squash and mix gently. Arrange the greens and squash on your favorite platter. Top with toasted nuts and crumbled shards of pancetta or bacon. Serve immediately.
*To toast pecans: preheat oven to 350 and spread on baking sheet. Toast for 7-10 minutes until nuts lightly toasted.