By now, I am so tired of all of this election information/barrage/littany of garbage that I have buried myself in vinyl and am refusing to come out. I don’t even have a TV so fortunately I’ve missed all of those ads. I have come out of my fort to vote however and to join the hordes of people asking/begging you to vote, please have a plan and vote. I first heard Cat Power’s music in late 2008. I was dating a terrible choice of a boyfriend and fortunately by this time that year, most of the worst choices related to him were behind me. Because I chose to be with him, I owed just shy of 4K+, received constant late night belligerent calls and felt even further from knowing my life’s path than when I initially started dating him. On election night, I received a call at 4 am from him, blackout drunk and asking for me to come find him. He had no idea where he was. I told him I would call him back. When I hung up, the first lyrics from the song, The Greatest floated into my head. Once I wanted to be the greatest and my head continued the thought: with you in my life, I will never be. I never called him back and fortunately ended things a few days later. Stay with me here, I know this may be a slight stretch. We are facing a future that will ensure if the bigly incorrect choice is made, we will never be the greatest. I feel that as a nation, we are at the same turning point that I was this time 8 years ago. Stop flirting with a terrible choice that will leave permanent scars on our identity and soul as a nation. We are more diverse, accepting and thoughtful than DT embodies and now is the time to disagree with everything he stands for. VOTE.
Yes, this is blog is still about food paired with vinyl and I thought heavily if I wanted to make this political. I chose Cat Power’s Greatest to pair with this salad for the music and vibe I was going for. When I really started to reflect on why I chose it, the memories came back in waves with sour beginnings and successful endings. The timing was eeire.
The salad is delicious and it does pair with The Greatest like a dream. Make it for now or make it for this weekend. It will be delicious and festive on the Thanksgiving table. The squash is crispy, the hazelnuts are incredible roasted and the fall flavors are abundant mixed with arugula. Enjoy, think about your choices and listen to The Greatest.
Don’t forget that this Tuesday is a day all of us will remember. Leave your mark and have your say in the polls.
Roasted Delicata Squash, Pomegranate and Hazelnut Salad
Serves 2
Ingredients
- 1 delicata squash, halved, seeded and cut into 1/8 inch slices
- 2 Tbsp avocado oil
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 pomegranate, fruit removed and saved
- 1/4 cup of raw hazelnuts
- 4 cups of arugula
- 2 oz of parmesan cheese, shaved
- 2 Tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
- 1 Tbsp of balsamic vinegar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Pour 1 Tbsp of avocado oil on a baking sheet and place the squash in a single layer on the sheet. Pour the other Tbsp of avocado oil on top of the squash and mix them around to coat the squash. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place in the oven and roast for 15 minutes. Flip the squash and roast for another 15 minutes. The squash should be golden brown and some of them slightly crispy.
- Roast the hazelnuts in the same temperature oven for 6 minutes, stirring halfway.
- Prep your mise en place. Have the pomegranate seeds ready, the parmesan and mix the dressing. Add salt and pepper to taste to the dressing. Toss the arugula with the dressing and top with the squash, pomegranate seeds and hazelnuts. Sprinkle the parmesan cheese on top and enjoy.
Notes
- I paired this with a white wine although to continue the fall theme, a cider would be delicious. Also, a cider vinaigrette will be featured in an upcoming recipe and would be superb. I didn’t have cider today so I didn’t make it for this salad.
- Acorn squash could work just as well. The squash most likely wouldn’t crisp the same way unless you are able to cut it to the same thickness.
- Don’t forget what we discussed in the beginning. Vote. Please.