There's smashed pumpkin flesh and seeds splattered all over my dining room table and floor, the remnants of a birthday party with 10 children and their parents, who were all eager to carve fall pumpkins. What is left behind, though, is more than your garden-variety crime scene. To me, it's supper, as well as snacks of roasted seeds.
Although our guests have requested pies and turnovers, scones and more items filled with sweet pumpkin filling, I am resisting the urge. Those treats will come soon enough in the form of Thanksgiving confections and desserts. And with pumpkin getting all the glory this time of year, it's nice to remember the other colorful varieties from the squash family, including butternut, acorn, spaghetti and delicata.
What I'm craving in anticipation of the heavier winter holiday meals to come is something healthful, delicious and nourishing, like grain- and leafy-green-rich salads topped with golden squash. Roasting vegetables is always a sure and simple way to glean maximum flavor, yielding lovely crisped edges with tender and golden insides. For this recipe, use any hard-skinned winter squash. Many stores now sell pre-cut and peeled butternut squash, so prep is even quicker. Otherwise, leave the skin on or use a vegetable peeler for easier peeling.
Squash and greens pair well together (I am hopelessly addicted to Laurie Constantino's kale and squash tart with blue cheese) so think about tossing in some chopped kale or Romaine along with or in place of the wild rice, farro or barley.
The dressing for this salad is inspired by Mexican pepita (pumpkin seed) salsas, but here I've thinned it out and added tang from buttermilk and apple cider vinegar to go head to head with the roasted apples. The hit of spicy jalapeno (spicier with seeds and ribs left intact) brings all the sweet and nutty flavors together for this celebration of winter squash and offers a much prettier replacement for what was once a splattered pumpkin scene.
Roasted squash and apple salad with pumpkin seed dressing
About 3 pounds pumpkin, butternut or other winter squash (seeded and peeled, if desired, and cut into 1-inch cubes or slices)
1 large red onion, peeled and cut into 2-inch cubes
1 large apple, cored and cut into 14 to 16 slices
Extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste
3 to 4 cups fresh thinly sliced kale or Romaine
1/4 cup fresh chopped cilantro and fresh mint
Optional: 1 cup cooked wild rice, barley, farro, bulgur or lentils; feta cheese (or Cotija or ricotta salata)
For pumpkin seed dressing:
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon (for garnish) toasted* raw pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
2/3 cup buttermilk, shaken
1 garlic clove, smashed
1 jalapeno, stem removed (and seeds, if desired) and cut in half
About 1/3 cup packed fresh chopped cilantro and fresh mint
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar, divided
Salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil (or pumpkin seed or grapeseed oil)
*You can buy raw, hulled pumpkin seeds at the grocery store. To toast hulled pumpkin seeds, place seeds on a lined baking sheet and roast in a preheated 375-degree oven for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent burning. If you want to roast your own seeds from pumpkin carving, here are some directions.
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine squash and onion on a large parchment-lined baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Toss to combine and coat evenly. Roast for 20 minutes. Toss in apples and roast another 10 to 15 minutes or until vegetables are tender when pierced with a fork.
2. While vegetables are roasting, make dressing. In a food processor (or blender) combine 1/4 cup of the pumpkin seeds, buttermilk, garlic, jalapeno, fresh cilantro and mint, salt, pepper and 2 teaspoons of the vinegar; blend to combine and to break down the pumpkin seeds -- it's OK if it's a bit chunky. Taste and add more salt and pepper, as needed. Drizzle in olive oil and pulse until blended; set aside.
3. Massage kale with remaining 1 teaspoon of the apple cider vinegar and toss in half of the dressing. Add the fresh herbs and cooked wild rice and cheese, if using, and stir to combine. Place salad on a large serving platter (or individual plates). Top with the roasted vegetables and drizzle on remaining dressing. Garnish, if desired, with remaining 1 tablespoon of toasted pumpkin seeds.
Kim Sunée ate and lived in Europe for 10 years before working as a food editor for Southern Living magazine and Cottage Living magazine. Her writing has appeared in Food & Wine, The Oxford American and Asian American Poetry and Writing. She is currently based in Anchorage. Her most recent cookbook is "A Mouthful of Stars." For more food and travel, visit kimsunee.com.