Roasted Squash And Arugula Salad With Pecans Bacon And Goat Cheese Recipes

ROASTED SQUASH AND ARUGULA SALAD WITH PECANS, BACON, AND GOAT CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°F. Toss the pecans with a little canola oil and sea salt, and roast until fragrant, about 7 to 10 minutes. Meanwhile, peel and seed the squash and cut into 1/2-inch cubes. Toss with a little canola oil on two baking sheets (do not crowd) and sprinkle with more of the sea salt. When the pecans are done, remove from the oven, raise the temperature to 425°F and roast the squash until it's soft and the edges are deep brown. While the squash roasts, cut the bacon into 1-inch pieces and fry it up in a large skillet. You may need to do this in two batches, pouring off the fat (be sure to save it!) in-between. Drain the bacon on paper towels or on a brown paper bag. Keep the pan hot and make sure there are about 6 tablespoons of bacon fat in the pan. Add the shallots and saute over medium heat until they soften. Turn off the heat and add the vinegar. Swirl to combine. Add a few turns of the pepper mill's worth of fresh black pepper. The salad can be served now, with the ingredients still warm, or at room temperature. To assemble: In a large bowl, toss the dressing with the squash and bacon. Add several large handfuls of the arugula. Strip about three or four sprigs of thyme leaves into the bowl and add the pecans (which should be broken into pieces if they're not already.) Toss gently. Dot with the goat cheese (you may not need all of it) and serve.

ARUGULA SALAD WITH ROASTED BUTTERNUT SQUASH AND PARMESAN CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Toss butternut squash with 1 tablespoon oil and spread on a baking sheet.
• Bake in the preheated oven until squash is soft, about 30 minutes. Allow to cool for 10 minutes.
• Stir together remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper for the dressing.
• Combine squash and arugula in a salad bowl, drizzle with dressing, and mix to combine. Serve topped with shaved Parmesan.

ROASTED SQUASH SALAD WITH ARUGULA AND CHEVRE(ARGENTINA)

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400*F.
• Cut squash in half and remove seeds and strings. Brush cut ends liberally with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
• Roast for 45-60 min, or until a fork pierces the flesh with no resistance.
• Meanwhile, whisk together ingredients for the vinaigrette in a small bowl. You can use an immersion blender to emulsify and "puree" everything together. You can also add everything to a blender or food processor and get the same result.
• Transfer roasted squash to serving plates. While still steaming, fill the cavities with crumbles of goat cheese and then baby arugula. Add vinaigrette to taste and toss, being sure to scrape pumpkin flesh into salad as you toss. Eat immediately.
• NOTE: I suggest letting guests assemble their own salad at table. This is a fun and interactive first course. Provide a shallow bowl to hold the pumpkin and 2 small spoons per person so that they can smash the ingredients together themselves.