This dish is so simple to put together and it's a show stopper for guests and family. The warmth of the roasted butternut squash melds so well with the hummus and the sesame oil mixed with the lemon juice & green onions adds both depth and a bright surprise. And the duqqa, well, let's just say the duqqa is just the cherry on top of this non-sundae, sundae.
Roasted Butternut Squash with Hummus
serves 4
1 large butternut squash
olive oil
s&p
hummus (homemade or store bought)
1 green onion-thinly sliced
4 T dukkah nut mix *see below
4 t sesame oil
2-4 t lemon juice
Dukkah (Duqqa)
makes about 1 - 1 1/2 cups
1 1/2 cups mixed nuts *see below
seed mix *see below
kosher or maldon salt
fresh ground pepper
cumin powder for additional flavor
Heat up your oven to 350 F (160 C)
Cut the squash in half lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds and keep if you wish to make your own seeds. Place the flesh side down on the cutting board and while cutting through the skin, slice 1 inch thick (2.5 cm) pieces. Smear with olive oil, s&p and bake for about 45 minutes. When pierced with a knife, you want to have no resistance. It should be very soft. Remove it to slightly cool.
For the dukkah, I use a mix of any nuts/seeds I have on hand. Hazelnut, almond, walnut, brazil nut, macademia nut are my go-to's. I also use sunflower seeds, coriander seeds, caraway seeds or sesame seeds. What is very important is that you use cumin seeds and/or powder and salt & pepper to get the flavors right. This nut mix is so rich in flavor from the fatty oils in the nuts and in combo with the aromatic seeds, it ends up a bang.
Place the nuts on a baking sheet. Add a couple scoops of your seeds of choice Leave the salt and pepper until the end. In an oven at 350 degrees F (160 degrees C) bake until golden brown. You can also do this in a pan on the stovetop. Whether in the oven or on the stovetop, shake and move the mix around to get as many sides as possible to brown. You only want browning, no burning or the flavor is no longer good. Also be careful with sesame seeds or pine nuts. They burn easily. Sometimes I cook those apart from the rest.
When the nuts are done, remove and let cool for a bit. Later, place in a kitchen cuisinart with a liberal amount of salt & pepper and pulse until it's nice and crumbly. Taste it. If the cumin doesn't stand out, while using a spoon to mix, not the cuisininart, add a dash of cumin powder at a time. The nuts are the main character, but the cumin flavor is the supporting role. Don't over pulse it. The point is to have a very chunky mix. You can keep this in an air tight jar for a couple of weeks. I keep it way longer if I am being honest.....
If serving right away, scoop 2 heaping T of hummus per plate and spread it out in a line. Set the squash on top in a row. Pour the lemon juice & the sesame oil over the top. Then sprinkle the dukkah & green onions over it all. Serving warm atop a cooler hummus is highly advised!
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