Elevate Your Fall Salad: Simple Ingredients with Maximum Flavors

A memorable salad is more than tossing greens with dressing. Sweet and savory flavors, contrasting textures, seasonal ingredients and visual appeal are what turn an ordinary salad into something memorable and special enough for a restaurant menu.

Restaurant-worthy cooking isn't necessarily about complicated techniques or exotic ingredients. It's about understanding how flavors work together, building layers of flavor and paying attention to the little details that make a dish memorable. That's the philosophy behind award-winning chef Adrianne Calvo's Maximum Flavor at Home, and it's something you can bring into your own kitchen, too.

I eat salad just about every weekday, but I need variety to keep things exciting and fresh. Fall is an excellent time to embrace seasonal produce and add some variety to your cooking. Roasted delicata squash, fresh pears, tangy pickled red onions and crunchy candied pepitas were the inspiration for my next salad! Each component plays an important role in creating a balanced dish, and I'm going to break down the techniques behind each one.

Delicata Squash

Delicata squash has a naturally sweet, nutty flavor and tender, creamy texture. This heirloom variety has distinctive pale-yellow skin with dark green stripes. Its flavor falls somewhere between sweet potato and butternut squash. Unlike most winter squash, delicata’s thin, tender skin is completely edible, so there’s no need to peel it before cooking!

To cook my squash, I tossed it with olive oil and simply seasoned it with salt and pepper to taste. I spread it out on a sheet tray (no foil or parchment, please - that creates steam and will hinder caramelization) and roasted it at 425° until it was caramelized and tender. That’s it!

Sometimes the cooking technique is all you need to make an ingredient shine, like high-heat roasting. It’s my favorite way to cook vegetables because the browning during the cooking process adds a boatload of flavor and complexity.

Candied Pepitas

Pepitas are pumpkin seeds that have been removed from their shells, leaving behind their flat, oval-shaped green kernels. They have a mild, nutty flavor and a delicate crunch, making them delicious toasted, seasoned or candied. Unlike traditional in-shell pumpkin seeds, pepitas are ready to eat without any extra work.

I learned how to candy nuts and seeds from Chef Paul Kahan when I worked at Blackbird back in 2000. His technique is to boil (blanch) the nuts or seeds for 30 seconds, drain them and then toss with sugar, honey and the spices of your choice.

Spread out on a parchment-lined sheet tray and bake until golden brown.

Why does this make such great candied pepitas? Blanching helps the sugar and honey adhere to the seeds, creating an even coating as they bake. The result is a crunchy candy coating that sticks to each individual seed rather than falling off.

Pickled Red Onions

Pickling is a method of preserving food by soaking it in an acidic solution, typically made with vinegar, water, salt and sometimes sugar and spices. It’s a very simple technique with maximum flavor. The acidity gives pickled vegetables their characteristic tangy flavor while helping preserve them. Quick-pickling is an easy way to add brightness, crunch and a pop of acidity to everything from salads and sandwiches to tacos and grain bowls. In my opinion, every dish should contain a pickled element!

Place your onions (or any other vegetables you like such as fennel, beets, carrots, cucumbers and radishes) in a bowl. Make your brine by measuring together vinegar of your choice, water to balance the acidity, sugar and salt. Bring the brine to a boil and pour the hot brine over the onions. Allow to cool for about 30 minutes on the counter and then place in the fridge. Once cold, they are ready to use but you can keep them in your fridge for several weeks and grab them any time you’re looking for a tangy crunch in your recipe.

The Vinaigrette

A vinaigrette is a simple dressing made by combining oil with an acidic ingredient, typically vinegar or citrus juice. Often enhanced with ingredients like mustard, honey, herbs or shallots, a vinaigrette adds brightness and balances the flavors of a dish. The classic ratio is three parts oil to one part acid, although this can be adjusted to suit your taste and the ingredients you're using.

I encourage you to make your own vinaigrette for this special salad and not rely on a store-bought substitute. Making vinaigrette is simple and you probably have everything you need at home to prepare it. My one tip is to leave it more tart than you think it should be. As soon as you dress your salad, it becomes muted, so be sure it packs a punch. Vinaigrette stays good in your fridge for 1 to 2 weeks, so make a big batch and use what you need.

The Extras

• Pears are in season right now, and I wanted to celebrate them in my salad. I kept it simple, slicing the pears and adding them as is. The juicy sweetness really complemented the roasted squash and tangy onions.
• Every salad, in my opinion, needs cheese. When thinking about roasted squash, candied pepitas and pickled red onions, my mind goes to a bold, tangy cheese such as goat cheese or blue cheese to balance the flavors while still playing a strong supporting role.
• Dried cranberries added a chewy texture and pop of tartness that complemented all of the other flavors. Thank goodness for awesome neighbors, because I forgot to buy dried cranberries but my friend across the street had them.
  

Roasted Delicata Squash Salad with Arugula, Candied Pepitas, Pickled Red Onions and Apple Cider Vinaigrette

Yield: 4-6 servings

Active time: 45 minutes

Start to finish: 1 hour, 15 minutes

For the pickled red onions (do this a day or two in advance):

1 1/2 cups red wine vinegar

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup granulated sugar

4 teaspoons kosher salt

1 red onion, julienne

For the candied pepitas (make these a day in advance):

1/2 cup pepitas (hulled pumpkin seeds)

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

1 teaspoon honey

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon smoky paprika

Salt and pepper to taste

For the squash:

1 medium-size delicata squash

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

For the vinaigrette (make this several days in advance):

3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

1 teaspoon whole-grain or Dijon mustard

1 to 2 teaspoons maple syrup

1/3 to 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

For the salad:

4 cups arugula or baby kale

1 semi-ripe pear, cut into wedges

1/3 cup dried cranberries

1/3 cup goat cheese, crumbled

1. To prepare the pickled red onions, measure together the vinegar, water, sugar and salt in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar and salt.
2. Place the red onions a medium-size bowl. Pour the hot brine over the onions, and place the bowl in the refrigerator. Once the brine is cold, the onions are ready. Tip: These will keep in the fridge for many weeks, so make them several days in advance!
3. Preheat the oven to 325°.
4. To prepare the candied pepitas, bring a small pot of water to a boil. Add the nuts and boil for 30 seconds. Drain and transfer to a small bowl.
5. Toss the blanched pepitas with the sugar, honey, cinnamon, smoky paprika, salt and pepper. Mix well and transfer to a parchment-lined sheet tray.
6. Bake, stirring occasionally, until the nuts are golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Allow to cool before serving. Tip: These will keep for a day or two, so make them in advance!
7. Preheat the oven to 425°.
8. To prep the squash, cut off the top and bottom. Cut the squash in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. Cut the halves into 3/4-inch half moons, and then cut each piece in half. This will make it easier to eat in the salad.
9. Place the squash on a sheet tray, toss with the oil, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Roast until lightly caramelized and knife tender, about 15 minutes. Set aside to cool.
10. While the squash is roasting, prepare the vinaigrette. In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, mustard and maple syrup. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil while whisking quickly to create a temporary emulsion. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Adjust with more olive oil if too sharp.
11. In a large salad bowl, toss together the greens of your choice, pear wedges, half the roasted squash, 1/2 cup of the pickled red onions, candied pepitas and cranberries. Tip: Save the extra pickled red onions and roast squash for other recipes.
12. Dress the salad with just enough of the vinaigrette to coat; you may not need all of it.
13. Add the crumbled goat cheese, and gently toss through. Serve right away.

This salad is all about taking seasonal ingredients and elevating them to the next level with tried-and-true techniques that bring flavor, texture and excitement to your cooking. So many of the components can be prepared a day or two in advance, making it almost effortless to compose the salad for your next dinner party or even Thanksgiving dinner.

This is the kind of cooking that makes everyday ingredients extraordinary. It's about understanding how to build flavor, use simple techniques and pay attention to the details that make a dish memorable. And if you're looking for more inspiration to bring restaurant-worthy cooking into your own kitchen, join us for an evening with award-winning Chef Adrianne Calvo and her Maximum Flavor at Home experience on Wednesday, November 18 at 6pm.! You’ll cook alongside Chef Adrianne while learning how to prepare three mouth-watering recipes from her new book, which is included in the price of the class!