Receta Raw Butternut Squash Salad with Ginger & Raisins

by Eliot

Raw Butternut Squash Salad with Ginger & Raisins By Eliot, on July 30th, 2018 I bragged during last month’s “In My Kitchen”  about my beautiful squash plant and how it was loaded with lovely butternuts.   Seriously, it wasn’t two days after that post that the entire vine withered away and died.  (Squash bugs, perhaps?) Anywhoo, I was able to salvage half a dozen squashes.  When I think of butternut squash, I think of fall….nice gratins, creamy soups, delicious pies and muffins. Definitely not salads. I wondered if you could eat it raw and after a couple of searches I came across some delicious sounding recipes:  Raw Butternut Squash Salad with Ginger and Raisins by Mark Bittman and Fresh Butternut Squash Salad with prosciutto, Parmesan and walnuts by Marc Meyer.  Although I have to admit that the latter one sounded more delicious, I had everything to make the former one.   So, Raw Butternut Squash Salad with Ginger  it was. Raw Butternut Squash Salad with Ginger and Raisins Based on a recipe by Mark Bittman You will not believe how delicious this is. The raw butternut tastes like a cross between a watermelon and a carrot (if that makes sense). Ingredients 2 small butternut squash, about 3 lbs. total 1/2 c. olive oil 4 T. Champagne vinegarr 1 heaping T. fresh ginger, minced Kosher salt fresh ground pepper 1 c. golden crimson jumbo raisins Instructions Peel and seed the squashes.  Shred in a food processor.   Place in a large serving bowl. In a smaller bowl, combine oil, vinegar and ginger in a salad bowl; add salt and pepper to taste. Add raisins to the serving bowl with the shredded squash.   Toss with the vinaigrette.  Taste and re-season if necessary. Serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate for up to several hours. Yield: 6-8 This is basically Bittman’s recipe except I doubled it because I was feeding a crowd.   I also used the jumbo raisins because they are my favorite. The results?  It was a huge hit.   Everyone who came through our buffet line (we served this with some grilled flank steak and another huge hit of a salad to be posted soon) thought it was a giant bowl of grated cheddar cheese. Imagine their surprise! This salad is perfect for summer—no cook and so simple.  Hope you try it. I’m linking up with Deb’s (at Kahakai Kitchen) Souper Sunday! Recipes   butternut, butternut squash, ginger, raisins, raw, salad, salads, squash