RADICCHIO, ENDIVE, AND SQUASH SALAD WITH PICKLED ONION AND BALSAMIC REDUCTION
While this salad is obviously perfect for fall, it’s so good you’re going to want to eat it all year. The symphony of flavors is perfection — the bitter radicchio, sweet squash, syrupy balsamic, and sharp pickled onions work so beautifully together. And speaking of beautiful, this dish is a total show-stopper.
Fair warning, it’s a more involved salad, so I tend to entertain with it rather than serve it on a run-of-the mill weeknight. But if you have the time on a random Wednesday, power to you!
Now let’s talk subs — if you don’t have delicata squash, you can easily use butternut. Watercress and arugula would work nicely instead of the radicchio and endive. And feel free to swap out the pumpkin seeds for any kind of nut or seed you like — toasted pecans would be delicious too!
INGREDIENTS: (serves 6-8)
2 medium delicata squash
4 tbsp olive oil, divided
kosher salt, to taste
I head radicchio, chopped
2 heads endive, chopped
1/3 cup pumpkin seed, toasted
1/2 cup pickled red onion
1 500ml bottle balsamic vinegar
flaked sea salt, to taste
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Cut squash in half lengthwise, seed, and slice into semi circles. Place squash on a lined baking sheet. Coat in 2 tbsp olive oil and season with salt. Roast for 40 minutes, flipping halfway through.
While squash is cooking, pour the entire bottle of balsamic into a sauce pot. Turn heat to medium and allow vinegar to reduce — stirring occasionally to make sure the vinegar is not sticking to the bottom of the pan. After about an hour the vinegar should be 1/4 of the volume. You will know the reduction is thick enough by dipping a spoon in and running your finger down the back — it should leave a clear track that doesn't immediately flow back together.
Once squash is done cooking, remove from the oven and allow to cool.
To assemble, layer radicchio, endive and squash in a large salad bowl/platter. Top with pickled onion and pumpkin seeds.
Drizzle on the rest of the olive oil and balsamic reduction and finish with a sprinkle of flaked sea salt.
4Q Journaling Guide: This dish counts towards your starch, non-starchy vegetables, and fat in your meal. Depending on how much you’re eating, it could potentially fill your quotas for all of the above — simply pair with a lean protein to make a complete lunch or dinner.