I should probably admit right now, I love fall. It is absolutely my favorite season, hands down. The weather is perfect (cool and crisp, but not too cold. "Sweater weather", as people say), the leaves turn in a perfect display of complementary colors, and the food is delicious. Roast veggies and squash, apple cider (and fresh apples themselves), hearty soups. And everything is so comforting and filling, it's perfect for those times when something like a salad just won't cut it.
So you might be confused, I guess, as to why I'm giving you a recipe for a salad. Well, that's because this is a different kind of salad. Instead of being based on leafy greens, or crunchy veggies, it's based on whole grains and chunks of roasted squash. And in addition to the incredibly sustaining base of the salad, the spices (though not the traditional accompaniments to roast squash, the chili spice goes incredibly well with the savory-sweetness of the squash) will warm you right up on a chilly day.
Add in the tang of feta cheese, and you've got yourself one heck of a winter salad on your hands.
Also, this recipe has an intentionally vague name. This can be made with many types of winter squash (I've used acorn and butternut squash, and both were delicious. Pumpkin would also probably work, though I've never tried it). And this recipe can use just about any type of hearty whole grain. The original recipe that gave me the idea (over at Smitten Kitchen, as always) used farro. I didn't have farro, but I did have a bag of barley that had been kicking around for ages waiting for me to find a use for, so that's what I used and it was great. And again, the cheese is highly customizable as well. If you prefer goat cheese, go ahead and use it. The Smitten Kitchen recipe uses ricotta salata. Any cheese that is suitably tangy will work wonderfully in this salad. Let your taste-buds lead the way.
(And sorry about the lack of photos. As usual, I totally forgot to take pictures, so you'll just have to use your imagination)
Roasted Squash and Grain Salad
This recipe might seem complicated, but it is not as intense as it might look. There are three major parts of the this salad (the grain, the squash, and the "dressing") that are being made simultaneously, but they are easy to manage because each steps requires a lot of waiting.
1 winter squash (I used butternut squash this time, because it is easier to peel and cut into uniform chunks)
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp chipotle powder
1/3 cup bulgur (or any other grain)
1/3 cup crumbled feta
1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 shallot, minced
Preheat the oven to 375.
Peel the squash, remove the innards and seeds (if you like pumpkin seeds, you should try roasting the squash seeds. Just let them dry, then spread them on a pan, coat with oil, and season with salt and pepper. Roast in a 375 oven for 7-10 minutes). Cut the squash into 3/4 inch cubes (it doesn't need to be perfect, but the pieces will cook more uniformly if they are all the same size).
In a large bowl, mix the squash cubes, oil, salt, cumin, paprika, cinnamon, and chipotle, until the squash it thoroughly coated. Spread the squash cubes evenly on a baking sheet (I cover mine with aluminum foil for ease of clean-up), and roast for 10 minutes. Then flip the pieces over, and cook for about 10 more minutes, or until they are tender to a fork.
While the squash is roasting, boil the bulgur in 1 cup of water. Once the bulgur is boiling, let it simmer for about 20-30 minutes until it is tender. Drain any remaining water and let cool slightly.
While the bulgur is boiling, combine the shallot and the vinegar. This will slightly "pickle" the shallots, and the vinegar will act almost as a kind of dressing for the salad. Let the shallots sit until all the parts of the salad are ready to assemble.
Once all the components are prepared, it's just a matter of combining them. In a large bowl, toss the squash, bulgur, shallots, and feta cheese. You may want to add more olive oil, but that's just preference (I usually don't, but whatever).
This salad also keeps very well (which greatly adds to its appeal for me). You could probably store it in the fridge for a week.
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While I really want to review the movie Looper (because I saw it recently, and it was fantastic and I really think that everyone should see it). However, I'm not sure how I can review it without spoiling it entirely). I want to talk about the plot, and how it showed a fantastic use of time travel in narrative story-telling. I want to talk about how the antagonists in the film use time-travel to apprehend a character in the most terrifying way (seriously, that scene with Seth was super creepy. Anyone who has seen the movie will know what I'm talking about). I wish I could discuss my theories about what happened, because I love discussing theories about slightly ambiguous stories (and you often get slightly ambiguous stories with time travel).
But I really don't want to ruin the movie, so I guess all I can do is say that I recommend it highly. If you like time travel, you should see this movie. If you like crime/mob drama, you should see this movie.
If you like Bruce Willis, you should see this movie (since you have Bruce Willis, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt acting like Bruce Willis). So, once again, you should all see this movie.
