Chef David Hawksworth’s West Coast restaurants Hawksworth, Nightingale and Bel Café have inspired many of the recipes featured in Hawksworth: The Cookbook, such as Brussel Sprouts, Pickled Grapes and Pine Nuts, one of the most popular dishes at Nightingale. This Delicata Squash Salad recipe featured in his cookbook is another Nightingale favourite. About the dish, Chef Hawksworth writes: “Delicata squash has a thin, edible skin and unusually sweet flesh. At Nightingale, we slice it, roast it skin-on, and give it an umami-rich roasted garlic dressing blended with raisins, anchovies, and capers. There’s crumbled feta for added tang and creaminess and toasted sliced almonds for crunch. Then we finish it with pomegranate seeds to give it an acidic pop.”
Delicata Squash Salad
Ingredients
Garlic Confit
- 1 head garlic unpeeled
- 1⁄4 cup olive oil
- salt
Squash
- 3 1⁄3 lbs delicata squash (3-4 squashes)
- 2 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 sprigs sage
- 3 sprigs thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- salt
Dressing
- 1⁄3 cup golden raisins
- 3 tbsp cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp Garlic Confit
- 1⁄4 cup olive oil
- 1⁄3 cup capers
- 10 anchovies
Salad
- 1⁄4 cup sliced almonds
- 2 cups Macedonian feta
- 1⁄2 cup pomegranate seeds
- Aleppo or espelette pepper
Instructions
Garlic Confit
- Preheat the oven to 175°C (350°F).
- Slice 6mm (1⁄4 inch) off the top of the head of garlic, exposing the cloves. Place the head of garlic in the centre of a piece of aluminum foil. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt, then seal the packet. Bake for 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Squeeze the flesh out of every clove to use in recipes. Store remainder in an airtight container, drizzled with olive oil, for up to 1 week.
Squash
- Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F).
- Cut the squashes in half lengthwise and discard the seeds. Cut into 2cm (3⁄4 in) slices.
- Toss with the honey, olive oil, sage, thyme, bay leaves, and salt, then lay out in 1 layer on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Roast until tender and golden at the edges, about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and discard the herbs.
Dressing
- Soak the raisins in the cider vinegar for 30 minutes.
- Pulse the garlic confit, olive oil, capers, and anchovies in a food processor until coarsely chopped. Add the raisins and vinegar. Pulse again until coarse.
Salad
- Preheat the oven to 175°C (350°F).
- Lay the sliced almonds on a baking tray lined with parchment paper and toast until golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes.
- Place the roasted squash on a serving platter or individual plates. Crumble the feta on top and generously drizzle with dressing. Garnish with the toasted almonds, pomegranate seeds, and a light sprinkle of Aleppo or espelette pepper.
