Saturday, March 14, 2009

Warm Butternut and Chickpea Salad with Tahini Dressing

I wanted to get a couple more butternut squash recipes made before they were completely out of season. If you frequent Smitten Kitchen, then I am sure you noticed the Butternut and Chickpea Salad. I was so excited to make this.
Unfortunately, my tahini was rancid! I whisked the dressing together and thankfully, tasted it before I dressed the salad. It was horrible. The good thing is that I took it back and got a refund the next day. The bad thing- I don't know exactly how this salad tastes with the dressing.
I just decided to dress it with a little lemon juice and olive oil and I served it on some fresh spinach. I added a little cottage cheese to mine after I took pictures and also sprinkled on some sesame seeds.
It was delicious. I am sure everyone who tried it would agree.


Warm Butternut and Chickpea Salad with Tahini Dressing Found on Smitten Kitchen
Adapted from Orangette, who adapted it from Casa Moro
Yield: 4 servings
For salad:
1 medium butternut squash (about 2 to 2 1/2 pounds), peeled, seeded, and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
1 medium garlic clove, minced or pressed
1/2 teaspoons ground allspice
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt
One 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed (1 1/2 cups)
1/4 of a medium red onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro or parsley
For tahini dressing:
1 medium garlic clove, finely minced with a pinch of salt
1/4 cup lemon juice
3 tablespoons well-stirred tahini
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more to taste
Preheat the oven to 425°F.
In a large bowl, combine the butternut squash, garlic, allspice, olive oil, and a few pinches of salt. Toss the squash pieces until evenly coated. Roast them on a baking sheet for 25 minutes, or until soft. Remove from the oven and cool.
Meanwhile, make the tahini dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together the garlic and lemon juice. Add the tahini, and whisk to blend. Add the water and olive oil, whisk well, and taste for seasoning. The sauce should have plenty of nutty tahini flavor, but also a little kick of lemon. You will probably need to add more water to thin it out.
To assemble the salad, combine the squash, chickpeas, onion, and cilantro or parsley in a mixing bowl. Either add the tahini dressing to taste, and toss carefully, or you could serve the salad with the dressing on the side. Serve immediately.
Do ahead: Molly says this salad, lightly dressed, keeps beautifully in the fridge.
Up next- A quick chicken dish

12 comments:

Marie Rayner said...

Mary, I love that you have lots of healthy food sprinkled amongst the bad goodies! (I love the bad goodies too!) This salad looks very interesting with a variety of textures. If it only tastes half as good as it looks, I am sure it is delicious! Sorry your tahini was rancid, but lucky for you that you tasted it before you poured the dressing on the salad!!

The Food Librarian said...

Great save for your tahini! I'm glad you didn't waste all those great butternut squash pieces! I like your second dressing - it sounds light and delicious.

Noel said...

I've never thought of using squash in a salad, I'll have to try it :)

Steph said...

I love how you love cooking with squash. The salad looks really good.

Anonymous said...

I love both chickpeas and butternut squash - this looks delicious!

Alexis said...

Your pictures are always so beautiful and inspire me to get out of the typical meals I make. Kuddos!

Not Another Omnivore said...

Mmmm....

NAOmni

Cheri said...

This looks delicious. I just bought a butternut squash for the same reason. I think I will use it for this salad tomorrow for lunch.

Cathy said...

Yay! I have one butternut squash sitting on my counter, and I wanted to do something different with it rather than just roasting it (although I love roasting it, don't get me wrong!) This looks perfect! I am going to make this tomorrow, and it will be lunch for the week! It looks incredible.

pigpigscorner said...

I made this too! Great flavous and loved it!

Cheri said...

I made this for lunch today and it was great. I couldn't find tahini at my local grocery store so I made a light lemon and oil dressing it was great. thanks..

Anonymous said...

Your salad looks wonderful. Your comment on rancid tahini has got me thinking. I have some in my fridge. I wonder how long it lasts? oh well...