Butternut Squash Hummus

My friend Sonja requested this recipe as soon as I served it to her a few nights ago, and then my cousin Rachel asked for it when I told her about it. All three of us will be putting it out as a nibble before our Thanksgiving feasts, with carrot and celery sticks and blue tortilla chips as dippers.

I created the recipe after an outstanding dinner at Farmshop, in Brentwood. The meal began with a stunning pumpkin hummus topped with sautéed garbanzo beans, and I enjoyed the dish so much, I wanted to create my own version.

I like butternut squash more than pumpkin, and had half a squash in the fridge, so I roasted it to intensify its sweet, earthy flavor. I boiled dried garbanzos- canned will work fine, but freshly cooked dried beans have a cleaner, less salty taste. Look for them at Indian and Middle Eastern markets, if they aren’t in your grocery store.

Simply puree the beans and squash with fresh lemon juice and tahini (ground sesame seeds- available at most grocery stores). The finishing touch: more garbanzos that are sautéed until crispy and then mixed with fresh herbs, and extra-virgin olive oil.

This scrumptious dip will keep guests happy while you are putting the finishing touches on the meal. To make things easy, I will prepare the hummus and cut up the carrots and celery a day or two before Thanksgiving, and just sauté the garnish before serving.

Butternut Squash Hummus

Canned garbanzo beans (chickpeas) can be used in place of the dried. You will need 3 cups drained canned garbanzos (from 2 15-ounce cans). Skip the first 2 paragraphs of the directions below, and stat with roasting the squash.

Makes 8-10 servings

1 cup dried garbanzo beans (chickpeas)

1 large shallot, cut in half or ½ small onion, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces

3 fresh thyme sprigs

1 bay leaf

Coarse kosher salt

1 medium butternut squash, cut in half lengthwise

3 tablespoons well stirred tahini

2½ tablespoons fresh lemon juice

3 tablespoons olive oil

Freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme

1 tablespoon minced fresh marjoram

extra-virgin olive oil (for drizzling)

Blue corn tortilla chips, such as Sesame Blues

Carrot and celery sticks

Place the dried garbanzo beans in a medium saucepan. Add water to cover by 2-inches. Bring to a boil. Remove the pan from the heat, cover, and let stand at room temperature 1 hour.

Drain the liquid from the garbanzos and return the beans to the same saucepan. Add enough water to cover by 2-inches. Add the shallot, thyme sprigs, and bay leaf and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer until the beans are tender, 1½ to 2 hours. Mix in enough salt to season to taste. Cool to room temperature. (The beans can be prepared 3 days ahead. Cover and refrigerate the beans in their soaking liquid.)

Preheat the oven to 425° F. Oil a small baking sheet. Remove the seeds and fibers from the squash halves. Brush the squash with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place cut side down on the baking sheet. Roast until tender, about 45 minutes. Let stand at room temperature until cool enough to handle. Spoon the squash from the skin into a bowl and mash with a fork. Measure 1 cup mashed squash to use in the recipe.

Drain the garbanzos, reserving the cooking liquid. Discard the bay leaves, herb sprigs, and shallot. Place 1½ cups of the drained beans in a food processor. Add ⅓ cup of the cooking liquid (or water if using canned beans) and puree until smooth. Add the 1 cup mashed squash, tahini, lemon juice, and 1 tablespoon of olive oil and puree until smooth. Season the hummus to taste with salt and a generous amount of pepper. Thin with additional bean cooking liquid (or water if using canned beans), if desired. Transfer to a shallow bowl. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Refrigerate the remaining beans.)

Just before serving, heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the remaining drained beans (about 1½ cups). Sauté until beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Mix in ½ of the minced thyme and ½ of the minced marjoram. Pour the mixture atop the hummus. Drizzle extra-virgin olive oil over. Sprinkle with the remaining minced herbs. Serve with chips and carrot and celery sticks for dipping.

2

Comments