Salads > Roasted Butternut Squash Salad

‘Mise-en-place’ a French term that translates to “everything ready and in its place”, one must carefully sort and assemble equipment & ingredients in the recipe, as many components are required to prepare for cooking.

Being more organized helps one to save time and avoid mistakes.

There are 3 steps that need to be followed to prepare and cook this dish, they are:

1. Collecting equipment.

2. Collecting ingredients as listed.

3. Preparing ingredients as instructed

To produce Roasted Butternut Squash Salad, it is essential to have the right equipment, for example using a sharp chef knife to remove the peel of the squash will prevent accidents.

You will also require an oven for roasting the butternut squash.

Following are the equipment needed to produce the dish:

1. Measuring scale

2. Measuring cups & spoons

3. Green & white chopping board (To avoid cross contamination, use the white knife and chopping board for the bread and use the green ones for the vegetables)

4. Green & white chef knife

5. Salad spinner

6. Mixing bowls small

7. Mixing bowls medium

8. Mixing bowls large

9. Peeler

10. Pastry brush

11. Whisk

12. Baking tray/sheet

13. Oven mitts

14. Tablespoons for tasting

15. Serving plate/bowl & cutlery

It is essential to use fresh ingredients over frozen or dried, as fresh ingredients have a more natural taste, which provides the dish a balanced flavor.

The tender butternut squash is marinated and roasted to bring out the sweetness. Walnuts are toasted to add flavor and bring texture to the dish.

Also, the balsamic dressing combines all the different flavors and gets soaked up by the bread croutes.

Tips: Instead of Butternut squash, you can use pumpkin.

For knowledge of what you should essentially have in the kitchen make sure to check out the Kitchen Staples section.

Following are the ingredients needed to produce this dish:


1. Butternut squash

2. Olive oil

3. Rock salt

4. Freshly ground black pepper

5. Coriander seeds

6. Turkey mortadella (very thin slices)

7. Frisee lettuce

8. Parmesan (shavings)

9. Walnut (roasted, chopped)

For the dressing

1. Balsamic vinegar

2. Olive oil

Baguette croutes

1. Baguette (thin slices, 5 mm thick)

2. Olive oil

3. Pepper crushed

It is important to prepare your ingredients in an organized flow, to achieve a successful outcome of the dish.

As this is a salad and has different elements, it is best to start with the chopping and peeling of ingredients.

Tip: Different vegetables can be roasted and added to the salad and other greens instead of frisee can be used.

Illustrated here are the methods used to prepare the ingredients for this recipe:

Peeling (to remove the rind or skin from a fruit or vegetable)

Peel the butternut squash before marinating.

Chopping (to cut solids into pieces with a sharp knife or other chopping device)

Chop the butternut squash into medium cubes and the walnuts in pieces.

Marinating ( to coat raw or cooked food in a sauce for a period of time, for flavours to be absorbed or for tenderization as in the case of meat)

Marinate the butternut squash with olive oil and sprinkle the crushed black pepper over it.

Now that the ingredients have been prepared, it’s time to get cooking!

To produce the Roasted Butternut Squash Salad, preheat the oven to 180˚C to get an even bake.

Tip: For better results, add vegetables into the simmering soup, from the toughest to to the tenderest. (To help them cook more evenly and to the perfect texture)

Marinating the butternut squash, will make the flavours go into the flesh of the squash.

Placing the croutes between 2 baking sheets will give even, flat discs, which will improve the presentation of the dish.

Tip: Do not over roast the butternut squash or it will become mushy.

Illustrated here are the cooking/preparation techniques used in this recipe:

Whisking (to beat or stir an ingredient with a light, rapid movement)

The oil and vinegar are whisked together to emulsify.

Roasting (to cook by dry heat in an oven)

After marinating the butternut squash, roast it for 35 minutes or until just done. Tip: You can feel the degree of doneness by piercing a piece of squash with a sharp knife or toothpick.

The Roasted Butternut Squash Salad is presented on a serving plate.

First the frisee lettuce is placed on the base, topped with slices of Turkey Mortadella, on which the roasted butternut squash must be heaped.

Toasted walnuts, Parmesan shavings and croutes must be dropped on the heaped squash and allowed to naturally fall and settle on the heaped squash and plate.

Drizzle the balsamic vinegar and olive oil dressing, then sprinkle the salt &  coriander seasoning as required.

Tip: Could be served cold or hot, if served hot it should be served immediately.

 

Raw Ingredients

Unopened bottles or tins of olive oil can be stored in a dry place for many months, however once opened the oil becomes rancid faster, hence must be used within a month. If you do not use much olive oil, then it is best to buy small bottles or tins rather than larger quantities.

Walnuts, rock salt, coriander seeds, black pepper and balsamic vinegar should be stored in a dry place, away from moisture.

Frisee lettuce can be stored in the fridge for 5 days.

Parmesan Cheese if well wrapped, can be stored up to 6 months in the fridge, as it is a hard and well matured cheese.

Cooked Ingredients

Processed food such as Turkey Mortadella if sealed can be stored in the fridge up to the expiry date mentioned on the packet. If the packet is opened, it can be stored for up to 1 week and if you want to keep it longer, it can be kept in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Leftover

Leftover Roasted Butternut Squash Salad must not be stored for more than 1 day

Ingredients

Roasted Butternut Squash Salad Yield : 4 Portions
Ingredients Quantity
Butternut squash 600 gm
Olive oil 3 tbsp
Rock salt 1 tsp
Coriander seeds 1 tsp
Black pepper 1 tsp
Turkey mortadella (very thin slices) 15 slices
Frisee Lettuce 4 handfuls
Parmesan (shavings) 10 shaves
Walnut (roasted, chopped) 1/2 cup
For Dressing
Balsamic vinegar 1 tbsp
Olive oil 3 tbsp
Baguette Croutes
Baguette (thin slices, 2-3 mm thick) 16 pieces
Olive oil 2 tbsp
Pepper crushed as required

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180°C.

2. Crush salt, coriander& black pepper.

3. Cut the butternut in quarters, drizzle the butternut with olive oil and sprinkle 3/4 of the salt & coriander seasoning over the butternut, marinate for a few minutes and roast for 35 minutes or until done and set aside to cool.

4. For the baguette croutes: brush the baguette with olive oil and sprinkle the crushed black pepper over it.

5. Place the slices between 2 baking sheets and bake at 180°C for 6 minutes or until golden and crisp.

6. The Butternut Squash Salad is presented on a serving plate. First the Frisee lettuce is placed on the base, topped with slices of Turkey Mortadella, on which the roasted butternut squash must be heaped.

7. Toasted walnuts, Parmesan shavings and croutes must be dropped on the heaped squash and allowed to naturally fall and settle on the heaped squash and the plate.

8. Drizzle the balsamic vinegar and olive oil dressing, then sprinkle the salt & coriander seasoning as required.

Ingredients Equipment Quantity Techniques
Butternut squash  Measuring scale  1  Chopping 
Olive oil  Measuring cups & spoons set  1  Marinating 
Rock salt  Green & white chopping board  1  Peeling 
Coriander seeds  Green & white chef knife  1  Whisking 
Black pepper  Salad spinner  1  Roasting 
Turkey mortadella  Mixing bowls small  4   
Frisee lettuce  Mixing bowls medium  2   
Parmesan cheese  Mixing bowls large  1   
Walnut  Peeler  1   
Olive oil  Ladle  1   
Balsamic vinegar  Pastry brush  1   
Olive oil  Whisk  1   
Pepper crushed  Oven mitts  2   
  Tablespoons for tasting  2   
  Serving plate/bowl & cutlery  4