Feel-Good Fall Salad

Late September into early October. The leaves began. The maple in the front yard turned first — half-orange Tuesday, full orange Friday. Hartford autumn. The light gold and slanting. I sat on the porch every morning that week with my coffee for ten minutes before starting the day. Eduardo joined me three of the seven mornings. He said, "Carmen, the trees." I said, "Eduardo, I know." We did not say much. Sometimes a marriage is two people watching the same trees turn for forty years and not needing to comment.

Tuesday food bank: chicken thighs with onions and potatoes. Simple. Good. Yolanda made it. Marcus did the potatoes — perfectly seasoned, slightly crisp, exactly right. Mr. Patterson greeted. Brian served. I tasted at the end and signed off. The pattern.

Wednesday La Cocina cohort 2 week four: tostones and mofongo. The class loved it as much as cohort 1 had. Hector's tostone was correct. He did the proper press. He said at the end, "Mrs. Carmen, I made my first correct tostone." I said, "Hector, the first correct tostone is a holy moment." He nodded. He had tears in his eyes that he did not try to hide.

Thursday I had Mami's 88th birthday pasteles to make. I had committed to having them in the freezer by mid-October. I made the masa Wednesday night and stayed up until midnight grating yautía. Eduardo came down to the kitchen at 11 and said, "Carmen, sleep." I said, "Eduardo, fifteen more minutes." He said, "Carmen, that is what you said an hour ago." I said, "Eduardo, the yautía is winning." He said, "Carmen, I will help." He sat down. He grated yautía with me until midnight. We finished. He had never grated yautía before. He grated yautía as a sixty-four-year-old man in our kitchen at midnight on a Wednesday because his wife was tired. The marriage. Thirty-eight years of the marriage being these moments.

Thursday I did the assembly. I made fifteen pasteles for Mami's birthday. I labeled them. I froze them. I called Mami. I said, "Mami, the November pasteles are in the freezer." She said, "Carmen, of course." That was her response. She did not say more. She slept. Wepa.

That week gave me a lot — the mornings on the porch, Hector’s first correct tostone, Eduardo grating yautía at midnight in his pajamas like it was the most natural thing in the world. By Friday I wanted something for just us, something that asked nothing of me, something that looked like the week felt: warm colors, a little sweetness, a little bite. This Feel-Good Fall Salad was exactly that. The maple in it tasted like the maple in the front yard looked. Sometimes you don’t need the recipe to be complicated — you need it to be present.

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 25 min | Total Time: 40 min | Servings: 4

Ingredients

4 cups baby kale or mixed autumn greens
2 cups butternut squash, peeled and cubed (about 3/4 inch)
1 crisp apple (Honeycrisp or Fuji), thinly sliced
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup pepitas (raw pumpkin seeds)
1/4 small red onion, very thinly sliced
1/4 cup crumbled goat cheese or feta
2 tablespoons olive oil (for roasting)
Salt and black pepper to taste
For the maple vinaigrette:
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Salt and black pepper to taste

Instructions

Roast the squash. Preheat oven to 400°F. Toss the cubed butternut squash with 2 tablespoons olive oil, a generous pinch of salt, and several grinds of black pepper. Spread in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast for 22—26 minutes, flipping once halfway, until tender and the edges are caramelized. Set aside to cool slightly.
Toast the pepitas. While the squash roasts, place pepitas in a dry skillet over medium heat. Stir frequently for 3—4 minutes until they begin to pop and turn lightly golden. Remove from heat immediately and set aside.
Make the vinaigrette. In a small bowl or jar, whisk together the olive oil, apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, and Dijon mustard until emulsified. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Adjust the vinegar or maple syrup to your preference.
Assemble the salad. Arrange the greens in a large wide bowl or on a platter. Layer the roasted squash, apple slices, cranberries, and red onion over the top. Scatter the toasted pepitas evenly.
Dress and finish. Drizzle the maple vinaigrette over the salad. Top with crumbled goat cheese. Toss gently just before serving so the greens stay lofted. Serve immediately.

Nutrition (per serving)

Feel-Good Fall Salad — Hartford Autumn, and Everything Quietly Enough