Earlier this year, I had the opportunity to travel to Montreal, QC–a city I loved almost at once. I took myself out to dinner and walked forty minutes from my hotel to find a fantastic pub that served farm-to-table food. Sadly, I have forgotten the name of this establishment and no amount of searching has yielded the answer. I adapted this salad for Easter and was gratified when my guests insisted it was the one thing a latecomer had to try. (If you roasted a squash earlier this week after reading Sunday’s post, this post will tell you what to do with it!)
You Will Need:
- 1 Butternut squash
- Olive oil
- Salt
- Dried raisins
- Balsamic vinegar
- Puy [French] lentils (1/2 cup should work for two people)
- One handful whole raw cashews (or more if serving many guests)
- Garam masala (you can use allspice if you don’t have garam masala)
- Honey
- Baby arugula (or tender mixed greens, as shown–even though “arugula” is in the name of the dish, my husband doesn’t like it, so we used spring mix instead)
- Goat cheese
Knife
Cutting board
Two large spoons from your silverware drawer
Two small prep bowls (plus an extra if you want somewhere to put seeds from the squash)
2 baking pans or trays sized to oven and/or toaster oven (see step 1, below)
Oven and/or toaster oven (see step 1, below)
Pot with lid, preferably small (plus an available burner on your stove)
Fine-mesh strainer (for draining lentils)
Oven mitt
Tongs for handling hot squash
Spatula
Salad spinner unless using pre-washed arugula
Steps
1. Preheat oven(s). You need to roast both squash and cashews for this recipe. If you have both an oven and a toaster oven, preheat the oven to 425ºF for the squash and the toaster to 325ºF for the cashews. If you only have one device, preheat to 425ºF.
2. Prep and bake squash. Wash the gourd, cut it in half, and scoop out the seeds. Drizzle with olive oil and salt and place it in a baking pan, cut side up. The squash will roast for around 40 minutes–you are looking for the point where the edges are browned and the skin looks slightly shriveled. (See my previous post on roasted vegetables if you’d like a visual.) When you remove it from the oven, a knife should slide through the flesh without trouble.
3. While squash roasts, soak raisins in a small bowl with balsamic vinegar. You want enough vinegar that some will permeate the fruit. Let sit.
4. Cook the lentils. Start by picking through the lentils to remove any small stones. Sometimes these can get mixed up with dried beans and grains, and you only need to chomp down once on a rock before you won’t skip this step. Place the lentils in a pan with enough water to cover them. Some recipes call for a 1:2 ratio of lentils:water, but I prefer 1:3, and more if I’m using a large pot. It’s easier to add too much water and strain out the excess than it is to deal with burnt lentils. After you have both lentils and water in the pot, you’re going to cover it, bring the water to a boil, and then turn the heat to low–all without removing the lid. Let simmer for about 15-20 minutes and then taste a few lentils to see if they are tender enough for your liking. Strain out excess water and let them cool while you wait on the squash.
5. In another prep bowl, glaze cashews with honey and garam masala. Sprinkle the cashews with a few shakes of spice, drizzle honey on top, and stir. Add more honey if needed to coat the nuts.
6. Roast cashews (if possible). If you have only one oven, it’s better to wait for the squash to come out and then lower the temperature to roast the cashews. The salad will still taste good if the squash has cooled, and you won’t risk burning the nuts. You want to roast them until the cashews are browned and the honey is bubbly. Check back often–they burn easily. When they look ready, have a spatula on hand to transfer them back to the prep bowl to cool before serving.
7. Wash and dry the arugula.
8. Plate the salad. Start by spooning some lentils onto each plate. Scoop squash from skin and place 1/4 squash per serving. Spoon some raisins and cashews over each portion, toss a handful of arugula on top, crumble some goat cheese, and sprinkle with leftover balsamic vinegar from the raisins.
Additional Notes: The first time I made this salad for my husband, I forgot to cook the lentils, so I substituted dried mission figs instead of raisins and added extra greens to make a meal (see picture below). This variation makes a nice side salad if you are pressed for time, but the original version with lentils and raisins is the showstopper.
