What’s in Season?
Every Sunday, I head to the farmers market to find what is in season, and plan my menu accordingly. I often plan based on what I saw the week before and hope will be there again. One night this week, in the wee hours, I was lying awake, trying to figure out what to pair with a rosé from Austria. You can read more about the wine on the Provence WineZine. I wrote down some notes and created today’s Autumn Salad, hoping it would work. (Spoiler alert: it did.)
This salad is made of autumnal goodness — pumpkin, kale, shiitake mushrooms, walnuts, pomegranate seeds (from our tree), and chèvre. I mix it all with cooked farro (I get Trader Joe’s 10-minute farro — I cook it for 12 minutes!) and add a vinaigrette with a culinary secret weapon.
What’s this? A secret ingredient? Truthfully, it’s such a mundane ingredient that I’m embarrassed to say. I started using it when a recipe called for fresh apple cider and I couldn’t find any. So I improvised, bought frozen apple juice concentrate, and used it without diluting it. Since then, I’ve used a spoonful here and there for salad dressings and glazes on chicken and pork. Once I open the container, I pour the syrup into a jar and keep it in the freezer; even frozen you can easily scoop out a tablespoon or two for whatever you need.
Finally, I finish the salad servings with a drizzle of pumpkin seed oil; it really pulls everything together nicely. Mine was a gift from friends who had traveled to Croatia, but you can find it online. Of course, you don’t need to use the pumpkin oil — the salad is still fantastic without it.
~ David
Autumn Salad
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Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups uncooked farro (see note)
- extra virgin olive oil, as needed
- 1 small pumpkin or butternut squash (1 pound after peeling), in 3/4-inch dice
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
- a generous grating of nutmeg
- 3 ounces kale, coarsely chopped or torn (stems removed)
- 1 large shallot, chopped
- 4 ounces shiitake mushrooms, quartered
- 1 cup walnut pieces
- 3 ounces chèvre, crumbled
- 1/3 cup pomegranate seeds, more as needed.
- sea salt, as needed
- freshly ground black pepper, as needed
- 2 tablespoons apple juice concentrate (undiluted)
- 1 teaspoon honey Dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons herb vinegar
- pumpkin seed oil, optional
Instructions
- Note: This salad is served warm or at room temperature; it is assembled for serving, so don’t worry if all the ingredients are not ready at the same time.
- To make the toasted kale, preheat oven to 275°F. Place kale in a bowl and drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil; season with salt and pepper and toss well. Transfer to a large baking sheet lined with parchment and spread out so it is mostly in a single layer. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and cool on the baking sheet.
- Increase oven heat to 400°F. Toss diced pumpkin in a bowl with 2 tablespoons olive oil, salt, pepper, rosemary, and nutmeg. Spread on a large baking sheet lined with parchment. Place in the oven and roast until golden brown — about 30 minutes for pumpkin and 20 minutes for butternut squash — until tender. Cool on the baking sheet.
- Cook farro per package instructions (see note). Drain and season well with salt and pepper.
- Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the shallot and cook till clear — about 3 minutes. Add mushrooms to the skillet with the shallot. Increase heat to medium-high and sauté for several minutes without stirring, then season with salt, stir, and continue cooking until nicely browned. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
- Whisk together 2 tablespoons olive oil, the apple juice concentrate, the honey Dijon mustard, and vinegar.
- When everything is cooked, toss the farro with the pumpkin (or squash), mushrooms, walnuts and the dressing. Add the crumbled goat cheese, kale, and pomegranate seeds, and toss gently. Serve with additional pomegranate seeds and drizzle with the pumpkin seed oil.
- Makes 4 very hearty main course servings, or serves 8 as a side dish.
- Note: I use Trader Joe’s farro and it takes only about 12 minutes; regular farro can take about 45 minutes)
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Mad Dog
October 5, 2024 at 6:08 amThat looks and sounds delicious – the apple juice gives it a bit of a Mexican feel, while the pomegranite is positively Levantine. Your Kale looks beautiful – I’ve got caterpillars after my Cavalo Nero!
Barb
October 5, 2024 at 7:26 amBeautiful salad, perfect for the Austrian rosé! Both sound delicious and are a clever way to eat fall foods at 106 degrees!
Jill W Becker
October 5, 2024 at 9:17 amBeautiful. Must try this. Happy Thanksgiving you and Mark.