Fennel, pear, endive, blood orange and roasted squash salad

Sometimes the best salads happen when you least expect it. I was making a fennel and blood orange salad with the usual accoutrements and decided to add the lone acorn squash that was sitting on my counter. I roasted thin wedges of it with a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkling of brown sugar and I have to say it made this salad (you can eat it with the skin, no need to peel). The colours alone are so vibrant and appeal to the eye even before you have taken a bite. I Made the dressing with the juices from the oranges together with white balsamic vinegar, agave syrup and a little bit of olive oil to give it richness. If I had a few micro greens or baby arugula I would have piled them on top of the salad.

The salad was nice with the easy cheese sticks I made yesterday and posted here.

Fennel, pear and blood orange salad with roasted acorn squash

Serves 2

Ingredients:

1 acorn squash
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon brown sugar

1/2 fennel, cut in half and thinly sliced
2 blood oranges, membrane removed, segments only, juice reserved
1 small pear, thinly sliced (I only used half of the pear)
1 small Belgian endive, thinly sliced vertically
1/3 cup pomegranate seeds
1/4 cup chopped candied nuts

Fennel fronds, chopped

Easy cheese sticks

Dressing:

Juice from the oranges (about 1/4 cup)
2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar (or white wine vinegar)
2 tablespoons agave syrup
2 tablespoons olive oil
A pinch of salt

Mix all dressing ingredients together and set aside.

Directions:

Heat oven to 400F.

Cut the squash into segments (I followed the natural lines)
Drizzle the squash with oil and sprinkle with brown sugar.
Place on a foil lined baking sheet and roast until golden and cooked through.

Remove from heat and set aside.

Combine the fennel pear and endive and mix gently.

Pile in the center of a salad plate.
Arrange the orange around the fennel.
Sprinkle with pomegranate seeds and chopped nuts.
Arrange the roasted squash over the salad and loosen the salad a bit with two forks to mix it.
Scatter fennel fronds over the salad and the edges of the plate.
Drizzle a little dressing over and serve additional dressing on the side.

Fennel, pear and blood orange salad with roasted acorn squash

Fenne, pear and blood ornage salad with roasted acorn squash

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