Delicata and dandelion salad, charred tangerine, fuji apples and a citrus hazelnut vinaigrette

This is a salad that probably sounds pretty fancy. But the reality is that it’s incredibly basic and highlights tons of seasonal, interesting, and local veggies. So it’s simple but far from boring. Just because it has the word “salad” in it doesn’t mean it has to raw, cold or rabbit food.......

Eating seasonally and locally is cool. It’s trendy. Even “hipster.” But there are a lot of trendy things that are pretty stupid…I mean, top knots? However, when it comes to seasonal cooking this isn’t a new idea. Your great-grandmother couldn’t have imagined a tomato salad in February and she probably wouldn’t recognize those pale and flavorless alien spheres as tomatoes today. So flavor is clearly a benefit of eating in season. The sexy heirloom babies you get at the farmers’ market (you know, the ones that glisten when you slice ‘em open and leave a pool of sweet juice on your cutting board) are far different from what you’re going to get at the grocery store in the dead of winter. 
​So there’s taste and then there is also that thing called your health. Food eaten in season has been ripened on the plant and when it’s local it’s lost far less of its nutritional value in the short transportation route. A gala apple coming from Chile? Well it was picked green, sat on a truck for a number of hours, and by the time it made it to you it not only did NOT gain the nutrients it could have from ripening on the tree, but it lost a ton in transport too. And chances are it was sprayed with some weird crap, completely defeating the purpose of eating fruit and veggies in the first place. So there’s that. AND eating seasonally is SO MUCH CHEAPER. Delicata squashes are wicked cheap right now and you can actually find dandelion greens (yes, those things that we’ve deemed weeds) growing in your backyard, as long as they haven’t been treated with chemicals........

Basically, this dish is going to blow your mind and make you rethink your lame definition of salad. It’s full of contrasting flavors, textures, and temperatures. It’s colorful. It’s what I would deem a very sexy salad. Yes, food can indeed be sexy. And hell, you know you’re going to impress someone with all those elegant words like “caramelized” and “delicata.” But you won’t spend too much money to get a badass compliment. 

Delicata squash can be green or yellow.

Recipe
​serves 4

Salad ingredients:
1 medium delicata squash, cut in half length wise, deseeded, cut into 1/4 inch strips
2 medium tangerines,  peeled, cut into rounds
1/2  bunch dandelion, washed and dried 
1 fuji apple, thinly sliced (cut when ready to serve)
1/4  red onion, thinly sliced
Olive oil 
salt and pepper

Vinaigrette ingredients (method below)
1/4  cup hazelnuts 
1 tsp mustard (grain, dijon, german)
2 T lemon juice
2 T tangerine juice 
1/2 cup oil ( olive, blended, or grapeseed)
salt and pepper (s+p)

Method:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  On a baking sheet toast hazelnuts for 4-5 minutes or until fragrant. Remove nuts from baking sheet and let cool.  Toss delicata squash with olive oil and a pinch of s+p. Place on baking sheet cut side down.  They should look like half moons on the sheet.  Bake until tender and slightly caramelized and. On another baking sheet, drizzle 1 tablespoon of oil and spread evenly with your fingers.  Lay sliced tangerines and drizzle with oil, about 1 tablespoon.  Sprinkle with s+P.  Once, delicata is cooked and out of the oven, set your oven to broil.  Place baking sheet with tangerines on the highest shelf and cook until they start to char.  This should take about 5 minutes depending on your oven.  Once charred remove from oven and let cool. 

​When ready to serve, slice your apples and add to a medium size bowl.  Add remainder of salad ingredients.  Drizzle in some of the vinaigrette.  Toss and check for seasoning.  Add more dressing if preferred.  

Vinaigrette Method:
Add Juice and mustard to a small bowl and mix. Season with s+P.  Slowly drizzle oil into bowl.  This does not need to be emulsified.  Roughly chop hazelnuts and add to vinaigrette, check seasoning.  Set aside.

Goes well with grilled salmon or grilled steak.  A crisp sauvignon  blanc or dry riesling  would pair well.

cooking tips:

• Removing nuts from the sheet after toasting prevents burning  
• A dressing that is not emulsified is called a "broken vinaigrette" and is perfectly acceptable for a salad like this. At home, I never fully incorporate my dressings.