Butternut Squash Tahini Spread from Jerusalem: A Cookbook

On Tuesday I picked up my first ever Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) box of produce from Corbin Hill Farm. Corbin Hill picks the produce based on what is in season, and all of the produce is grown in New York State using sustainable farming methods. There are options to add “extras” to the order, such as dairy, eggs, meat, bread, beans or extra fruit.

In my January box of produce, I received apples, butternut squash, cabbage, beets, potatoes, sweet potatoes, onions, shallots, sprouts, arugula and an enormous Macomber turnip.

While I like to go to the markets and pick out my own fruits and vegetables, I thought the CSA box would be a nice mini kitchen challenge.

First up: butternut squash. When I was in Europe last month, I kept flipping through the Jerusalem book that was on the shelf at our friend’s apartment. I have been dreaming about this butternut squash tahini spread ever since.

Butternut Squash Tahini Spread

This is a very simple spread: roasted squash with a little garlic, tahini and yogurt. Fancy it up by adding a drizzle of syrup and a sprinkle of seeds!

adapted from Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi’s Jerusalem: A Cookbook

Ingredients

1 very large butternut squash, peeled, de-seeded and cut into chunks or cubes (I filled a 9 x 13 inch Pyrex pan with squash cubes and saved the rest of my very large squash to cook something else)

2-3 tablespoons olive oil (I just used 2 tablespoons)

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt (sea salt or Kosher salt)

2 garlic cloves, crushed and chopped slightly

5 tablespoons (70 g) tahini

1/2 cup (120 g) plain (I used low-fat) Greek yogurt

1 teaspoon mixed black and white sesame seeds (I used a mix of black sesame and nigella seeds)

1 1/2 teaspoons date syrup (I used pomegranate molasses)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Combine the squash, oil, cinnamon and salt in a roasting pan. Toss to coat. Cover the pan with foil or place a flat baking sheet on the top of the pan to cover it. Roast for about an 45 minutes to an hour or until soft, stirring once. Remove the squash from the oven and let cool slightly.

2. Once the squash has cooled slightly, transfer to a food processor (I used a bowl and an immersion blender). Add the garlic, tahini and yogurt and pulse until the mixture forms a rough paste.

3. Transfer spread to a serving dish or container, drizzle with date syrup or pomegranate molasses and sprinkle with seeds. Use like you would hummus, serving with bread or crackers or atop a salad.

Tags: appetizer, black sesame, black sesame seeds, butternut squash, butternut squash tahini spread, dip, dips, fall, Greek yogurt, healthy, holidays, jerusalem, nigella seeds, ottolenghi, pomegranate molasses, spread, tahini, Thanksgiving, winter