Warm Winter Salad to Make at Home

A lovely combo of roasted butternut squash, sautéed spinach, and anchovies

While we wait for spring to show up, try this lovely warm salad that, around Ann Arbor at least, can be made using locally grown vegetables that we can still get during the depths of the cold months. It has been one of my favorite things to make in recent months! Anchovies and squash may sound like a strange combination, but the sweet/salty/savory blend of flavors comes together beautifully. If you want to skip the anchovies, you could make the salad with a really good feta cheese! Or, if you want to go wild, use both!

To make the salad, peel a good-sized butternut squash and remove the seeds. Cut into 1-inch cubes. Toss with extra virgin olive oil, sea salt, and freshly ground black pepper and then roast in a 400-degree oven for 30 to 40 minutes, until the squash is very tender and golden brown on the outside. I stir it partway through to encourage even cooking. When the squash is nice and tender, remove the baking dish from the oven and set it aside.

When you’re ready to eat, wash a bunch of fresh spinach and pat it dry. Sauté it in hot olive oil. Add a pinch of sea salt. If you like garlic, add a clove that’s been peeled and bruised.

When the spinach is soft, remove it from the pan and place it on the bottom of a platter or a series of salad plates. Mound some cooked squash on top of the spinach. Squeeze the juice of a small orange over the top and then dress with a good olive oil, plus more salt and pepper to taste.

Arrange anchovies on top—I’m a big fan of the ones we get from both Fishwife and Ortiz! Grate some zest from the orange peel on top of the salad for aroma, color, and flavor.

Eat and enjoy!

Tuck into some tinned fish