Butternut Hummus
Chickpeas aren’t the only thing you can blend with tahini to make a delicious dip - in some areas of the Levant, pumpkin is used to make a very autumnal version of everyone’s favorite snack. Here it’s been adapted to use butternut, which is denser, smoother and less watery than traditional pumpkins, though you can use your favorite winter squash. Making the garlic into confit is an extra step but creates a sweet, mild flavor that melds much better with the squash than raw garlic, and can be done while the squash roasts. The presentation is very festive, but if you don’t have a holiday crowd to feed, you can easily halve this for a more manageable batch size, though you may wish you had more…
5 lb butternut squash (to make about 5 cups roasted)
12 large garlic cloves, from about 2 heads
Extra virgin olive oil
½ cup tahini (sesame paste)
½ cup lemon juice
½ tsp salt
Ground cumin, chopped parsley, pomegranate molasses & seeds, to garnish
Preheat oven to 400. Wash and halve butternut(s) the long way, scoop seed cavity and lightly oil cut sides, placing them on a sheet pan. Roast for at least 30 minutes, until very soft when pierced with a fork, with juices running and caramelizing. Allow to cool before proceeding. Meanwhile, peel and trim root ends from garlic cloves, place in a small saucepan and add olive oil just to cover. Bring to a bare simmer and continue very gently cooking on a low heat, with only a few small bubbles sometimes rising from garlic, for 30-60 minutes, until garlic is soft and translucent. Set aside to cool before using.
Gently strain any excess liquid in roasted squash, then combine with confit garlic cloves, tahini, lemon juice and salt in blender. Blend until completely smooth, then remove to a wide, shallow bowl and top with cumin, parsley, pomegranate molasses and seeds and generous drizzles of confit garlic oil. Serve with flatbread or sesame crackers.