Harvest Salad

Cooking with Jackie, Recipes,

We keep thanksgiving small in my family, but now that my sister and I are adults, we are kind of expected to contribute a little. I knew I’d have some beautiful fresh veggies from the farm, so I offered to bring the salad. But when I heard my sister was bringing a new boyfriend to the meal, I knew it had to be the best salad that ever salad-ed. A salad to intimidate. A salad to win-over. Just a really good salad, so this BOY knows the kind of delicious-food-loving-family he’s getting into. Just look at this ingredient spread!!!

So – if you need a last-minute thanksgiving sidedish – or even a good way to use up squash, charcuterie & baking leftovers to enjoy seasonal flavours, this salad is for you! A note: there are some cooked ingredients that need to be cooled before being mixed in with the salad – if you’re pressed for time then a couple minutes in the freezer does the trick!

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Harvest Salad

Prep Time 35 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 winter squash
  • olive oil
  • 3 tbsp golden or brown sugar
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 cup halved pecans
  • 100 grams prosciutto
  • 4-5 cups mixed salad greens
  • 1 apple I suggest honeycrisp because they're the best
  • 1/2 cup goat cheese
  • 1/3 cup dried cranberries

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Slice your squash in half and remove seeds and stringy flesh. Cover a baking sheet with parchment and a small drizzle of oil – place the squash peel up and use a fork to poke a few holes in the skin.

  2. Bake squash for 10 minutes, and then remove from baking tray to let cool enough so that you can carefully use a knife to remove the peels and slice the inner flesh into small cubes (1/2 inch square). Return to the baking sheet and bake for an additional 12 minutes until starting to crisp.

  3. Meanwhile, add the golden or brown sugar and cinnamon to a pan over medium heat. Add in your pecans and stir often until the sugar melts and pecans are coated (about 10 minutes for me, but varies by sugar and heat). Remove from heat and spread pecans out over a parchment-lined plate.

  4. Meanwhile, also heat a small drizzle of oil in another pan. Dice your prosciutto into bite-sized pieces, breaking them apart if they stick together. Add to the pan and cook over medium-high heat until they develop crispy edges (5-7 minutes).

  5. Place the squash and prosciutto on the same parchment-lined sheet and put in the refrigerator to chill.

  6. When you’re ready to serve your salad, slice a honeycrisp apple and add that, lettuce mix, dried cranberries and crumbled goat cheese to a bowl. Top with your cooled squash, pecans and prosciutto , toss well, and serve with your favourite dressing (mine is a quick mix of oil, balsamic & maple syrup)!