Autumn Romanesco Salad
Created by Recetascoquetas • recetascoquetas.blogspot.dkServes: 4 – 6 • Course: Salad • Diet: Vegetarian • Season(s): Fall
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup red quinoa
- 1 small Romanesco or orange or purple cauliflower
- 1 cup cubed winter squash (like butternut)
- 1 cup cubed beet
- 1 cubed pear
- olive oil
- juice from 1/2 a lemon
- 1 tablespoon mustard
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- slivered almonds (toasted if you wish)
- pomegranate seeds
- salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Rinse quinoa and cook according to package directions. Fluff with a fork and set aside.
Bring a medium sized pot of salted water to a boil. Fill a medium sized bowl with ice and cold water. Trim the leaves and cut 1/2 and inch to an inch off the base of the Romanesco or cauliflower (to remove any tough stem) and then separate the florets and cut the stem so that you have bite-sized pieces. At to the pot of boiling water and cook for three minutes, removing promptly, draining and plunging the pieces into the bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. This will help maintain the crunch and color of the vegetable. Drain and set aside.
Arrange the winter squash, pear and beet chunks on a rimmed baking tray so that the squash and pear are on one side and the beet on the other. Keeping each pile separate to avoid staining everything pink with beet juice, toss the vegetables with olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for 30 minutes or until the squash can be pierced by a fork but isn't falling apart. Remove from the oven and let cool to room temperature.
Prepare the vinaigrette by whisking together the lemon juice, mustard, honey, 2 tablespoons of olive oil and salt and pepper to taste.
In a serving bowl, toss together the Romanesco/cauliflower florets, quinoa and squash and pear chunks. Gently mix in the cubed beet and vinaigrette. Sprinkle the top of the salad with almond slivers and pomegranate seeds and serve.