Skip to main content
Spring has sprung, so it’s time to eat winter squash. Even though our typically gray and damp months weren’t nearly as gray and damp as usual this year, the longer days, twittering birds, and emerging sprouts make us hunger for the season’s tender young vegetables. And while we’ll be waiting a little longer for artichokes and asparagus, you can satisfy that longing with things like kalettes and other early flowering Brassicas from the farmers market. But don’t walk by the last of of the pumpkin-like winter squash. The kabochas, red kuris, buttercups, and blue-skinned Oregon sweet meats have been curing for months, concentrating their natural sugars and drying out their flesh for a better texture.
This salad combines raw kabocha with celery root, another holdover from winter, and the peppery flavor of arugula provides some contrast to their mild flavors. A food processor makes grating the squash and celery root easy, but if you don’t have one you can use a box grater. Or polish your knife skills by cutting them into matchsticks. A simple vinaigrette lets the vegetables shine.
Note
The recipe quantities will make several servings, but you’ll have about half a squash and celery root left over. I like to cook them for another meal instead of letting the raw remnants oxidize in the refrigerator.
Recipe
1 cup grated kabocha squash (peeling optional)
1 cup grated celery root (I prefer to peel these)
2 cups loosely packed arugula leaves
2 tablespoons wine vinegar
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
Kosher-style sea salt to taste
Make the dressing by stirring the vinegar, mustard, and olive oil together in the bottom of a bowl large enough to hold the salad. Add the vegetables and toss so they’re coated with the dressing. Add salt and taste. Serve slightly chilled.
