Did you know granada means pomegranate in Spanish? I had no idea until our tour guide informed us while visiting Generalife in Granada. In fact, the city is named after the crimson orb.
So when I spotted the royal fruit in a surprise “Welcome Home” mystery basket from Whole Foods Market Stevens Creek, I was immediately transported back to Spain – and eager to get into the kitchen with it.
I ultimately whipped up this lightly dressed wild rice and farro salad with roasted acorn squash. It’s at once sweet and savory, and the pomegranate seeds add a delightful, tart crunch.
Feel free to experiment with the add-ins when recreating the recipe. I imagine the seasoned grains would go well with a number of ingredients, like butternut squash, crumbled goat cheese and dried cherries.
- 2½ cups water
- ½ cup wild rice mix
- ½ cup farro
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 acorn squash, peeled, seeded and cut into ¼"-thick pieces
- 5 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- ½ cup diced onion
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon honey
- ½ cup pomegranate seeds
- ½ cup chopped toasted nuts, like pecans and hazelnuts (see notes)
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
- In a medium sauce pan, combine the water, rice, farro and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to medium. Cover and simmer until the rice and farro is tender, about 30 minutes. Drain well and set aside.
- Meanwhile, preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place the acorn squash on a baking sheet. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and toss to coat. Bake for 15 minutes, remove from the oven and stir gently. Bake for an additional 10 minutes or until the squash is caramelized and fork tender.
- Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a fry pan over medium heat. Add onion and cook until lightly caramelized, 10-12 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside.
- Whisk remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, red wine vinegar and honey in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add wild rice and farro and toss to combine.
- Add the roasted squash, caramelized onions, pomegranate seeds, toasted nuts and parsley to the bowl and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately or refrigerate.
