Butternut Squash, Spinach Apple Salad and Almond Crumble

It came to a surprise when my house received a surprise package of farm goodies from a good friend of my mom's. We received butternut squash, plump aubergines, and sweet potatoes. I was really happy and excited to receive them, I couldn't wait to cook with these local produce (and turns out they're from Subang!).

The butternut squash was the ingredient that I experimented with last. I have cooked the aubergines into a juicy tomatoey ricotta and aubergine involtini, and I simply steamed the sweet potatoes already for my midnight snack -- perfect while I have my Game of Thrones marathon. The rest of the ingredients were more familiar to me, and so I put the squash idle till I finally had the time to research on what to do with it. I never tasted it, let alone cook it. So when we received the squash, I had to research on the ingredients that go with it, and how to cook it right.

Still going with the local produce theme, I decided to pair the squash with local spinach for salad. I still can't get over the fact that the spinach and apples really go well with the lemon balsamic dressing. There's this balance of sweet, acidic and a bit of bitterness from the spinach that just go really well together. I think I've found a new favorite salad combo.

I also love the combination of the squash and the light lemony ricotta. I think the starchy and sweet squash is such a pleasure to eat, and I just love eating it on its own without much addition of any herbs or spices. Plus, the squash family is proven to have great nutritional value, and are low in calories. Think I've found my new favorite carb!

Recipe for two

Ingredients:

Spinach leaves, rinsed

1 red delicious apple, diced into cubes

Yellow onions to your liking, sliced

Quarter of a lemon

1 tsp balsamic vinegar

Dried basil

Butternut squash, 

3 cloves of garlic

1 shallot, grated

1 tomato, diced

2 tbsp ricotta

A handful of whole almonds or silvered almonds

Garlic powder

Granulated (powdered) ginger

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

Instructions:

Cut about 3 inches of your butternut squash from the larger side. Scrape out the seeds and drizzle your butternut squash with olive oil, salt and pepper. Bake your butternut squash at 180C for about 30 minutes until fully cooked.

Mix your spinach, diced apples, and onion and put it aside. While they sit, mix three tablespoons of olive oil, half of the quarter lemon juice, and balsamic vinegar. Also add in your grated shallot and 1 grated garlic. Mix the mixture until all are incorporated, and add in salt pepper to your liking. This will be your salad dressing. Don't dress your salad until the moment you want to serve, or your leaves would wilt. Although, you can always drizzle your salad with a tiny bit of lemon so that your apples won't turn brown. 

In a small bowl, mix in ricotta, lemon zest, juice of the rest of the lemon, and bit of dried basil. Mix well and set aside.

Cut your whole almonds into small crumbles, or if you're using silvered almonds you don't need to do any slicing. In a pan of medium heat, toast the almonds with a teaspoon of garlic powder and half a teaspoon of powdered ginger. Cut the heat and set them aside when they're nice, golden and crisp. 

In the same pan, heat a bit of olive oil and then put in the rest of your sliced garlic. Then, put in your tomaotes and cook them until soft and fragrant. 

Time to assemble! First, mix your salad with your dressing and put them on a plate to serve as the bed for the squash. Then, put in your tomatoes. Cut your squash in half and put each squash for each plate in the middle of the salad bed. Spoon in your ricotta mixture on top of the squash. Then for the final touch, sprinkle your dish with your garlic-y almond crumble goodness!

Eid: The Day of Victory

The Muslim New Year or Eid Mubarak is a day where we as Indonesian muslims commemorate the end of Ramadhan by indulging in a lot of ketupat, lontong sayur, rendang and opor ayam. For some, it's a long awaited day for they receive a lot of bonus cash from their elders -- or bosses (like the angpao in Chinese New Year). However, my mother always tells my brothers and I that the true meaning of Eid Mubarak does not lie in the food or the money; Eid Mubarak signifies the day of victory. 

I never really understood the meaning of it until this year's Ramadhan. To be fair, I think it's also partly because I never took my previous Ramadhans seriously. I've always treated Ramadhans as the time to finally reunite with my old friends and relatives in break-fasting gatherings (acara buka bersama) -- which basically is just dinner out -- thus occupying my schedule to spend time with lots of friends and relatives instead of devoting my time for ibadah. 

Of course, meeting old friends and relatives is never a bad thing! In fact, it's something my religion and culture recommend as part of silaturrahmi. However, only if I perceived my previous Ramadhans differently, I know I'd dedicate my time wisely to spend more time with my family. But most importantly, time would be well spent for ibadah -- the essence of Ramadhan. 

So what really is the 'better' perception of Ramadhan that I missed out all these years? I guess it's pretty fundamental, but most of us forgot that the holy month is the month of forgiveness, and is the only time of the year where the count of good deeds have a multiplier effect. I believe that when you go to the mosque to take your prayers, even your every footstep to the mosque is counted as a good deed. When you wake your brother up to eat sahoor, or when you wake your mom up to practice itikaf -- every single action you make to wake them up is considered as a good deed. Bearing in mind all the generosity God gives in the holy month, won't it be such a waste to spend most of our time for other agenda other than spending it to do our religious duties? 

This year, I made time to reflect.  I'm grateful that I have also committed and devoted my time to perform better religiously in Ramadhan as a result. This Ramadhan, I'm actually glad that I went to less acara buka bersama, spending more time with my family -- and God. I guess after a whole month of fasting, sleep deprivation, and even messed up sleeping hours... I can finally understand and appreciate the day of victory. 

...And above all, thanks mum. For all the religious lessons you shared. 

Selamat Hari Kemenangan, Iedul Fitri 1437 H.

Dan selamat naik berat badan!

-Syadz