Name: Butternut Squash Panzanella Salad with Apples and Kale
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 50 min
Ingredients: 2 Tbsp unsalted butter; 1 red onion (thinly sliced); ½ tsp ras el hanout; 4 cups diced butternut squash; 4 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil (divided); 1/2 tsp kosher salt (divided); 4 cups cubed seeded bread; 3 Fugi apples (cored, peeled, and diced); 4 cups shredded kale; 3 Tbsp dried cranberries; 2 Tbsp pepitas (toasted pumpkin seeds); ½ apple (peeled, seeded and diced); 3 Tbsp apple cider vinegar; 1 Tbsp maple syrup; ¼ tsp kosher salt; 3 – 4 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

Make an autumn version of a traditional Italian salad with this butternut squash panzanella salad tossed with apples and kale, dressed with an apple vinaigrette.

I spent much of September in Italy attending an Italian language school in Treviso, a smallish town outside Venice. For 2 1/2 weeks I ate a ton of pasta, pizza, risotto, and tiramisu (a dessert created by a restaurant in Treviso). The trip was about language, food, and people — meeting local Italians and making new friends with fellow travelers.

I learned a few things while there – some of which I already knew, and just needed reminding:

First. People, I lack the language gene. I've been studying Italian for several years, and still become catatonic when someone initiates a conversation with me in Italian.

Second. It was surprising to me how many Italians wanted to know if we thought Trump would win the Republican nomination. And not to wade into politics, but this wasn't necessarily because they thought that would be a good thing.

Third. The other top topic was the plight of the migrants, desperate to find new (safer) lives for themselves and their families, and the impact this migration was having on Italian life. I heard a lot of fear, mostly of the unknown. How long will this last? Where will they live? Where will they work? And this was in the prosperous Veneto!

Fourth. On a more mundane level, I was reminded that I could live on pasta and salad everyday. Forever. Which only proves that for me, some of the best meals are the simplest. I don't need celery foam, deconstructed French onion soup, or smoke wafting off an artsy dish that looks like it belongs in MOMA. I live in a city of culinary sophistication, but give me a plate of Penne Arrabiata that's perfectly cooked, or a bread salad with peak season heirloom tomatoes, and I'm a happy girl. This twist on a traditional Italian panzanella bread salad is a great example.

Bonus points: it's ready in just over 30 minutes. Slice up a red onion start it caramelizing on the stove – let it cook until the last minute before folding it into the salad. Roast up some diced butternut squash, and toast some bread cubes at the same time – this part goes quick. Make the dressing. Cut up an apple (leave the peel on) and slice ribbons of kale. You're done. Seriously. All you need do now is toss it all together and eat it up.

My husband, Carnivorous Maximus, had two helpings and never once suggested adding bacon. Of course now that he's reading this, he'll ask for it next time around…

Cook's Tips:

I use Ras el Hanout spice mix in so many dishes this time of year. I think of it as the Moroccan version of apple pie spice. You can buy it, make it yourself, substitute apple pie spice, or use just 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon. But it won't be the same. Ras el Hanout is a mixture of many spices that provides a unique flavor. I throw it in apple pies (duh), sprinkle it on my husband's pork or chicken roasts, add it to berry jams and plum preserves I make at the summer's end every year, on roasted squash along with some fig jam, and casseroles.

Peeling butternut squash looks more difficult than it is, and is much easier than other squash (like kabocha). Chop off the neck and peel off the skin with either a potato peeler or sharp knife. Next, split the body, scrape out the seeds with a spoon (grapefruit spoons with their serrated edge work best), turn it on end with the bulging body on your work surface, and peel off the remaining skin. The knife must be sharp to do this well – otherwise use a potato peeler. Or just take a huge shortcut and buy butternut already diced in the produce section.

Wimpy Tips:

If you must, fried up bacon lardons would be a good addition for the meat eaters at the table. I recommend using 3 strips of bacon for this.

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5 from 3 votes