2018 RECIPE TEN: Sunday February 4th - squash and pear salad with ginger-lime vinaigrette

BACK STORY:
It's the Super Bowl and instead of eating nachos and wings, I made two salads to clean out my fridge. This recipe came from Cindy Witkin at the Changemakers Friday gathering, of all things.

NOTES:
I made quite a few substitutions on this one to fit what I had. I replace butternut squash with a sweet potato, and used raisins (not cherries), olive oil instead of canola, added some romaine to the mixed greens, and used regular balsamic vinegar instead of white balsamic. I also didn't have any candied ginger so tried chopping up some pieces from a ginger chew candy; it didn't work well. Overall the recipe came together nicely, but I'd budget extra time for the roasting and assembly. I tossed everything together in a salad bowl instead of constructing on individual plates - faster and still as delicious!

STARS: 
3 out of 5. A bit pokey and not with ingredients usually on hand. But still delicious flavor and worth it as a side to bring to a meal like Thanksgiving.

RECIPE:
This isn't quite the recipe, but I can't find the exact one. Instead of pecans use hazelnuts; use fresh lime juice and grated or minced fresh ginger in the dressing, instead of Dijon mustard and sugar.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup pecans, very coarsely chopped
• 2 Tbs. unsalted butter, melted
• 1/2 tsp. ancho chile powder
• 3 cups 3/4-inch-diced, peeled butternut squash (from about a 2-lb. squash)
• 1/3 cup plus 2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
• Kosher salt
• 1/4 cup very thinly sliced shallots
• 3 Tbs. balsamic vinegar
• 1 Tbs. Dijon mustard
• 2 tsp. light brown sugar
• 6 cups loosely packed mixed salad greens
• 1 small ripe pear, halved, cored, and thinly sliced

Nutritional Information

Preparation

• Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 450°F
• Put the pecans and butter in an 8-inch-square Pyrex dish and toss to coat. Sprinkle with the chile powder and toss. Bake the nuts until toasted, about 5 minutes. Set aside to cool.
• Put the squash on a heavy-duty rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle 2 Tbs. of the oil over the squash and sprinkle with 3/4 tsp. salt. Toss to coat. Roast the squash until browned on the bottom, about 20 minutes. Flip with a metal spatula and continue to roast until the squash is tender and nicely browned on a second side, 5 to 10 minutes more. Set aside to cool.
• Put the shallots in a small bowl, cover with hot water, and let soak for 15 minutes; drain in a colander.
• Combine the vinegar, mustard, brown sugar, and 1/4 tsp. salt in a small bowl. While whisking vigorously, slowly pour in the remaining 1/3 cup oil.
• Combine the salad greens and shallots in a large bowl; sprinkle with 1/2 tsp. salt. Drizzle just enough of the dressing over the salad to coat lightly, and toss gently. Divide the greens among six plates and scatter the pecans, squash, and pears over the greens. Drizzle with a little more dressing if desired and serve.