For the salad:
2 cups uncooked sorghum
4 cups low-sodium vegetable stock
2 cups water
3/4 cup pepitas
1 medium butternut squash (about 2 pounds), halved lengthwise and de-seeded
Extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
3/4 cup chopped parsley
1/3 cup raisins
Salt and freshly-ground pepper
For the dressing:
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
3 tablespoons orange juice
2 teaspoons honey
1 small shallot, finely minced (about 1 heaping tablespoon)
To cook the sorghum, combine the sorghum, vegetable stock and water in a medium pot. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, cover, and cook for 60 minutes, or until the grains are tender and have just begun to splay open. When finished cooking, drain away any remaining liquid.
While the sorghum cooks, roast the pepitas and the squash. Heat the oven to 350°F. Toast the pepitas for 5 to 7 minutes, or until fragrant. Set aside 1/2 cup of pepitas for the salad, reserving the remaining 1/4 cup for the topping.
Increase the oven temperature to 375°F. Lay squash out onto one large baking sheets and drizzle with enough oil to fully coat the flesh. Sprinkle with salt and freshly ground black pepper and roast until tender, about 35 to 40 minutes. Set aside until cool enough to handle, then gently slice away the softened skin and cut each squash half into 1-inch cubes.
To assemble the salad, spoon the warm sorghum into a large serving bowl. Add the coriander, cumin, cinnamon and salt and stir until spices are fully integrated into the grain mixture. Spoon the squash, 1/2 cup of the pepitas, parsley and raisins over the sorghum and stir well to combine.
In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, sherry vinegar, orange juice, honey, and shallot. Pour over the warm grain salad and toss well.
Season with additional salt and pepper if desired. Serve warm, with the remaining 1/4 cup of pepitas scattered on top.
Recipe Notes
- For this recipe, I cook the grains using part vegetable broth and part water. You could certainly use all broth or all water — I just like the little bit of extra flavor that partial broth imparts.
- While the sorghum may seem tender enough at 50 minutes of cook time, the grains will actually absorb spices and dressing better if you cook them until they are slightly splayed open — about 60 minutes. If you pull them at 50 minutes, the dressing will just pool at the bottom of the bowl instead of soaking into the grains for flavor.