Butternut Squash and Harissa “Hummus”
Harissa, a spicy North African chili paste adds an addictive burn to this curious and delicious dip.
Ingredients
3 lbs. butternut squash, peeled with a potato peeler and cut into chunks
2-3 Tbsp. olive oil
½ tsp. ground cinnamon
Salt
5 Tbsp. tahini
½ cup Greek yogurt
Harissa to taste (start with 1 tsp. and go from there) - see suggestions
1 scant Tbsp. minced garlic, salted and pressed into a paste with the flat of a knife
1-2 tsp. maple syrup
2 Tbsp. finely chopped cilantro
Directions
Heat oven to 400 degrees. Toss squash chunks with olive oil and spread them out in a baking dish. Sprinkle with cinnamon and some salt, cover tightly with foil and bake until fully tender, about an hour. Let cool.
Combine squash, tahini, yogurt, harissa and garlic in a food processor. Pulse until mixture is largely smooth (a few lumps and bumps are okay). Taste and add more harissa and salt as desired.
Spread mixture out on a plate. Drizzle with maple syrup and sprinkle with cilantro. Serve with crudités or crackers or spread it on good bread.
Suggestions
We recommend the harissa from Savory Accents, a Verona-based family business
that features fresh chiles and chile products.
A note from Terese: "I wish this excellent dish was my own idea, but it was Yotam Ottolenghi’s. (If you haven’t heard of him or his books yet, run, don’t walk, to the nearest bookstore and get Plenty or Jerusalem, or go online to see some of his work."
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