Have you ever thought of eating raw butternut squash? Probably not. Well, I am here to tell you it is surprisingly good, but I cannot take credit for this mind-blowing gastronomic twist. I saw this recipe years ago watching Southern at Heart, hosted by Damaris Phillips. Made a note to try, in fact I went as far as printing the recipe and filing it in my gigantic folder entitled “To Make Soon” ideas. Forgot about it until last month, when our friend Cindy visited us and mentioned that she makes it often, it is now one of her favorite salads. That nudged me in the right direction. Now, I will not lie to you, grating butternut squash is not fun. But once you try this simple, but super flavorful salad, you will grate it wearing a smile of anticipation. Ok, that might be a bit of a stretch…
BUTTERNUT SQUASH SLAW
(adapted from Damaris Phillips)
2 tablespoons maple syrup
2 tablespoons grapeseed oil
3 tablespoons sherry vinegar
1 pound butternut squash, peeled, grated on a box grater
1/4 cup dried green raisins (or substitute regular raisins)
1/4 cup sunflower seeds, toasted
salt and black pepper to taste
Whisk together the maple syrup, vegetable oil and sherry vinegar in a large bowl. Add the squash, green raisins, and sunflower seeds; toss well. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Let sit for 30 minutes at room temperature or 1 hour in the refrigerator before serving.
ENJOY!
to print the recipe, click here
Comments: For this salad, I used a new (to me) ingredient, green raisins. I first learned about them in a cookbook called Bowls of Plenty, by Carolynn Carreno. She confessed being addicted. I was lucky enough to find a bag in our special Oriental grocer in town, and brought it home. They look exactly the way a green raisin should look. Green. Not yellow, not brown. They are delicious indeed. I would say less sweet, almost lemony. Perfect for this salad, in place of dried cherries used by Damaris. Feel free to substitute any dried fruit of your choice. All it matters in the salad is some bits of sweetness. The raw butternut squash considerably mellows down by sitting with the dressing. Leftovers were still very good next day, actually. And a tiny bit that was left on day three was incorporated in a stir-fry with ground turkey. I felt virtuous, even if the resulting dish was not exactly eye-candy. But, it all looked pretty nice on the first time around, as you can see below…
Dinner served: Butternut Slaw, Asparagus, and Grilled Pork Tenderloin.
Life is pretty good.
ONE YEAR AGO: Auberge-Pecan Walnut Bread
TWO YEARS AGO: Gluten-free and Vegan Raspberry Bars
THREE YEARS AGO: Lasserre, a French Classic
FOUR YEARS AGO: Sourdough Bread with Walnuts and Dates
FIVE YEARS AGO: Braised Brisket with Bourbon-Apricot Glaze
SIX YEARS AGO: The Real Vodka Sauce
SEVEN YEARS AGO: Pork Tenderloin and Blue Cheese
Bewitching Kitchen 
I like roasted butternut squash, but this would certainly take me outside my comfort zone!
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Mine too… If I had not seen Damaris oohing and aahing on her show, and then get the feedback from my friend Cindy, I could never go for it. It’s the type of twist you need emotional support to go for… 😉
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I have never even tasted raw butternut but I’ve eaten a truckload roasted or steamed. I love everything about this, even those green raisins. I’ll have a look but I might have to substitute.
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The raisins might be hard to find, but who knows? They are originally from India, you might have good luck in Indian markets where you live.
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We don’t eat squash raw but mix it with other veggies for a healthy meal.
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Same here… until now, that is… 😉
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Interesting! It would never have entered my imagination to eat it raw.
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It makes no sense, right? Until you allow the dressing to “cook” it, which is more or less what happens. This is a slaw to sit and wait a little…
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Glad you tried it, one of my favorites.
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Thanks for the heads up! 😉
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I will have to make myself not roast all of my butternut squash and try this 🙂 thank you for the inspiration xx
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I know! I also love it roasted. My advice. Buy two. Or three.. 😉
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😉
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We are definitely doing this. My parrot loves raw butternut squash seeds and may by accident actually eat a bite or two of the squash also (he is a sugar freak and not so good about eating vegetables). I use the bulb part of the squash with the seeds for him and then we eat the neck – usually cubed and roasted, mashed after roasting, or spiralized (guess where I learned that one). Can hardly wait to try this.
By the way, watched a video on Food & Wine, I think, about grating raw pasta dough. That’s not fun either but boy is it good in soup!
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grating raw pasta dough… now that’s something I need to investigate – love a new technique!
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