Ancient grains are the root of this hearty winter salad

Serves 6 to 8.

From “Sesame: Global Recipes + Stories of an Ancient Seed,” by Rachel Simons, who writes: “I love this kind of salad. Its mix of color and textures creates a lovely festive bowl for a gathering. But it works equally well as a clean-out-the-fridge kind of meal — feel free to swap any of the grains, greens, or roasted vegetables with whatever you have on hand. The only nonnegotiable is the tahini, which acts as the glue holding everything together, an ingredient as ancient as the grains it is binding." (Ten Speed Press, 2025)

For the dressing:

For the salad:

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

Make the dressing: In a small bowl, whisk the tahini, vinegar and salt until smooth. Season with pepper and set aside until you are ready to serve the salad.

In a medium saucepan, cook the grains according to package instructions. You can prepare the squash and grains up to a day in advance and keep stored in airtight containers in the refrigerator.

When the grains are cooked, add the kale to the saucepan over the top of the grains, cover, and remove from the heat. Let stand until the kale is wilted, about 5 minutes. Drain any excess liquid and transfer to the bowl you used for the squash. Season with salt and pepper, then toss together with the squash. Set aside.

In a medium skillet, warm the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and a pinch of salt and cook until just starting to brown, 3 to 4 minutes, being careful not to let the shallots burn. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more. Add the wine and reduce the heat to low, stirring until the liquid has evaporated, about 2 minutes. Scrape the shallot and garlic mixture into the bowl with the grains and squash and toss to combine.

Just before serving, toss the salad with the dressing and top with the almonds and pomegranate seeds. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Note: I prefer this salad served warm. If making a day ahead, keep the undressed salad in the fridge, and bring to room temperature before serving, adding the dressing at the last minute.