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. Simply puree canned beans and the 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

Kristine Kidd

Makes 8-10 servings

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Ingredients

  

• 1 medium butternut squash, cut in half lengthwise
• 3 tablespoons olive oil, plus more as needed
• Coarse kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 15 oz cans garbanzo beans, preferably organic
• 3 tablespoons well stirred tahini
• 2½ tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 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

Instructions

 

• Preheat the oven to 425° F. Oil a small baking sheet. Remove the seeds and fibers from the squash halves. Brush the squash with olive 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 garbanzo beans, reserving their liquid. Place 1½ cups of the drained beans in a food processor. Add ⅓ cup of their liquid 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 liquid, 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 olive 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 thyme and ½ of the 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.

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