Can you tell that I just barely had enough light left to photograph this salad? Imagine me in the backyard, trying to stand very still (like, don’t-breathe still) over a plate of salad while Cookie chased squirrels away. Click-click-click-click-click-click-click-click, and after all that, I only got a few photos that weren’t blurry. Granted, I had all weekend to make this salad, but I just had to wait until mid-afternoon on Sunday to get to work on them. I miss long summer days.
At least my cooking efforts were rewarded with one epic fall/winter salad. I modeled it after my current favorite restaurant salad from The Mixx in Kansas City. I went there for a late lunch after my return flight home from NYC and ordered this beaut. I took notes on the flavors and on how they don’t peel the butternut squash before roasting—a major time saver. Who likes to peel butternut squash? No one! The skin helps the butternut retain its shape while roasting, but I couldn’t tell that I was eating butternut peel. I also loved the roasted apples in the salad, which lie somewhere between fresh and dried on the flavor/texture spectrum. They’re a little dehydrated and concentrated in tart Granny Smith flavor. It took me a couple of tries to get those right at home. The trick is to roast them just long enough to make them tender, but not so long that they pop open.
The restaurant listed a honey-sage dressing on the chalkboard menu, but I swear, that day, it tasted like a ginger dressing to me. I loved it, so I made a ginger dressing for my homemade version. I also opted to use maple syrup instead of honey, which means that this salad is vegan! Their salad includes farro, which is my go-to whole grain for salads, but I haven’t been able to find any at my grocery store. I used wheat berries instead, which are very similar but need an extra twenty minutes or so for cooking. I should warn you that this salad requires some effort, but it’s a fantastic meal-in-a-bowl and leftovers will keep for a couple of days. If you’re in a hurry, you could use some pre-cooked or leftover whole grains and just toast the pecans.
