Smoky Warm Butternut and Chickpea Salad

Have you ever discovered a recipe, one of those “must make now” ones, only to realize that its main ingredient is not in season and won’t be for a very, very long time?

While I’m not exclusively tied to seasonal cooking, I do find that there’s just something so right about eating certain fruits and vegetables when they’re meant to be eaten. Peaches are just a quintessentially summer fruit. Asparagus screams spring and winter squash should only be eaten when there’s a bit of a chill outside. (That one’s even in the name!)

So I was extremely disappointed to chance upon this recipe in April, after my boots had been put away and my coats dry cleaned. Naturally, I waited patiently for winter jumped at the first butternut squash I could find, a full six months later. I had to buy pre-cut, since I lack the sharp knife, arm strength and dexterity required for cutting a gourd, but still, I finally had my squash and could make this glorious butternut and chickpea salad.

What’s so good about it anyway? Well, cubes of squash are roasted until sweet and caramelized. To counter the sweetness, they receive a coating in cumin and chile powder (my add — the original recipe calls for allspice), and we all know how much I love the cumin + butternut + chickpea combo. Then, the squash cubes are tossed in a creamy tahini sauce, spiked with lemon juice and garlic. Add the chickpeas and red onion and it’s a colorful mixture of hot and cold, tangy, sweet, savory, smoky, spicy — what more could you ask for in a recipe that takes little effort to make?

Smoky Warm Butternut and Chickpea Salad
Adapted from Orangette

Like I said, I switched up the spices a bit, since I didn’t have any allspice. I loved the balance of savory and sweet here, so I’m definitely sticking to my recipe when I make this again. (I have to do something with all that leftover tahini!)

For the salad:

– 1 20-ounce package of pre-cut butternut squash (or a 2 to 2-1/2 pound butternut squash, peeled and seeded), cut into 1-1/2-inch pieces

– 2 medium garlic cloves, finely minced

– salt and pepper, to taste

– 1 teaspoon cumin

– 1 teaspoon chili powder (I used a dark Valle de Sol powder from Whole Foods)

– 2 tablespoons olive oil

– 1 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

– 1/4 medium red onion, finely chopped

For the tahini dressing:

– 1 medium garlic clove, finely minced with a pinch of salt

– 3-1/2 tablespoons lemon juice

– 3 tablespoons well-stirred tahini

– 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more to taste

1) Preheat the oven to 425°F and line a baking sheet with tin foil.

2) On the lined sheet, toss the butternut squash, garlic, cumin, chili powder, olive oil and a good pinch of salt and pepper until evenly coated. Spread the pieces out in a single layer and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until soft.

3) While the squash is roasting, make the tahini sauce. In a bowl, whisk together the garlic and lemon juice. Add the tahini, whisking to blend, then add the olive oil and continue whisking until combined. Taste for seasoning — I added more lemon juice, since I thought it would brighten everything nicely.

4) Make the salad by combining the squash, chickpeas and onion in a mixing bowl. Add tahini sauce to taste, and toss carefully. Serve with additional salt for sprinkling.

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