The perfect autumn salad

Ingredients

Serves 4-5

For the butternut squash:

1/2 small butternut squash (about 400g)
6 small shallots, peeled and sliced in 2 lengthwise
2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp of garlic powder
1 tsp of sumac
Salt and pepper to taste

For the rest of the salad:

200g (about 10 leaves) of cavolo nero, destemmed and torn into medium sized bits
1 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup of cooked green lentils
1 heaped handful of dried cranberries
1 handful of pecans
1 tsp of maple syrup (optional)

Dressing:

2 tbsp of pomegranate molasses
1 tbsp of red wine vinegar
4 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
1 small garlic, grated
Pinch of salt

Instructions

1) Preheat the oven to 180°C (fan). Slice your butternut squash into half-moons. Place them on a sheet pan with the shallots. Drizzle olive oil, making sure each piece is well coated. Sprinkle salt, pepper, sumac and garlic powder on top. Roast in the oven for 20 mins.

2) In the meantime, make the dressing. Combine all of the ingredients in a small bowl. Now de-stem the cavolo nero, and massage it well in a bowl with olive oil. Once the butternut squash and shallots are roasted and cooling, roast the pecans in the oven for 5mins (you can coat them with maple syrup if you want).

3) Assemble the salad. On a large serving plate, add a layer of lentils, then a layer of cavolo nero, and repeat. Top with slices of butternut squash, shallots, pecans, and cranberries. Drizzle the salad dressing on top and toss before serving.