Fig As Well As Delicata Squelch Salad

for the squash:
1 delicata squash, sliced into 1/4 inch half-moons, seeds reserved
1 tablespoon fennel pollen
tabular array salt
freshly basis dark pepper
canola oil



for the seeds:
1/2 loving cup raw delicata seeds, rinsed clean
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon fine salt
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano



for the salad:
10 fresh figs, halved
10 oz watercress
1/2 ruddy onion, sliced
4 oz crumbled bluish cheese (gorgonzola is good)
4 oz prosciutto

to serve:
prosecco or other white vino vinegar


Directions:

Preheat oven to 375. Line a baking canvas alongside parchment. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, toss together the squash, a drizzle of canola oil, salt, pepper as well as fennel pollen. Arrange inwards a unmarried layer on the lined baking sheet. In a minor bowl, stir together the seeds, oil, paprika, garlic powder, salt, as well as oregano. Place on the baking canvas adjacent to the squash.

Bake for fifteen minutes or until the crush is fork-tender. Allow to cool close 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, toss together the salad ingredients. Divide betwixt 2 plates for a meal, 4 4 every bit a side dish. Top alongside crush as well as seeds. Drizzle alongside vinegar as well as serve.

My thoughts:

Our fig trees are doing thence good this year! It's been a wet, hot summertime but apparently, that is what all of the fruit trees inwards our yard love. They are all genuinely producing! We convey hundreds of beach plums, dozens of pawpaws as well as a huge amount of figs. This twelvemonth is the start twelvemonth we've been able to harvest anything from our "Little Miss Figgy" tree, which is smaller than the average fig tree, as well as the figs are great! Very flavorful as well as they convey peachy stems which makes it slow to alternative them off the tree without damaging the fruit. a major addition when you lot desire to serve them raw.

Delicata crush is 1 of my favorites. It's inwards flavor this fourth dimension of year. Many people mean value it's a wintertime crush similar butternut but it is genuinely summertime crush similar zucchini that is consumed when it matures inwards the belatedly summertime or early on fall. You tin sack eat the pare which makes it a breeze to prepare. I loathe having to peel the bumpy skins off wintertime squash! It makes meals alongside it much faster. I pulled this together for a quick luncheon as well as it took alone close one-half an hour, including cooling the cooked squash. Initially, I had idea to add together nuts to the salad but as well as then I thought--why non role the seeds? It's overnice non to convey them instruct to waste materials as well as the crush cooks thence quickly, you lot tin sack toast them on the same pan every bit the squash.

The flavors are perfect for belatedly summer. The fresh sweetness of the figs, the peppery watercress, the creamy cheese, salty prosciutto,  floral fennel pollen, crunchy seeds, as well as the earthy crush striking all of my flavors as well as textures inwards a salad. I didn't experience the involve to brand a formal dressing, at that topographic point is plenty crude left clinging to the crush as well as seeds that only a quick splash of vinegar was enough.