Tunisian Winter Squash Puree

Name: Tunisian Winter Squash Puree
Total time: 1 h
Yield: About 2 cups, Makes about 2 cups, serving 8 to 10 as an hors d’oeuvre
Ingredients: 2 pounds winter squash, such as kabocha or butternut; 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon fresh lemon or lime juice; 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil; 1 to 2 garlic cloves (to taste), peeled, halved, green shoots removed; 1/2 teaspoon salt (more to taste); 1 teaspoon freshly ground caraway seeds; 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground coriander seeds; 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon cayenne, to taste; Small Romaine lettuce leaves and imported black olives for garnish

By Martha Rose Shulman

Total Time: About 1 hour
Rating: 4(31)
Comments: Read comments

This is one of many North African spicy cooked vegetable purees typically served as a starter. The authentic dish is seasoned with harissa, the spicy hot pepper paste used widely in Tunisia and Algeria. If you can get hold of harissa easily, substitute 1 teaspoon or more to taste for the cayenne. You can serve this as an hors d’oeuvre, side dish or salad.

Featured in: Tunisian Winter Squash Puree

or to save this recipe.
Subscriber benefit: give recipes to anyone
As a subscriber, you have 10 gift recipes to give each month. Anyone can view them - even nonsubscribers. Learn more.
Subscribe
Share
Print Options
Include recipe photo

Ingredients

Yield:About 2 cups, Makes about 2 cups, serving 8 to 10 as an hors d’oeuvre

2pounds winter squash, such as kabocha or butternut
2tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon fresh lemon or lime juice
2tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
1 to 2garlic cloves (to taste), peeled, halved, green shoots removed
½teaspoon salt (more to taste)
1teaspoon freshly ground caraway seeds
¾teaspoon freshly ground coriander seeds
⅛ to ¼teaspoon cayenne, to taste
Small Romaine lettuce leaves and imported black olives for garnish

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Opt out or contact us anytime. See our Privacy Policy.

Preparation

Step 1
Preheat the oven to 425ºF. Cover a baking sheet with foil and brush lightly with olive oil. Cut the squash in half, scoop out the seeds and stringy membranes, brush the cut sides with olive oil and lay cut side down on the foil-covered baking sheet. Bake 40 minutes, or until soft enough to pierce easily with a knife. Remove from the heat and allow to cool, then peel and mash with a fork, or puree in a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Stir in 2 tablespoons of the lemon or lime juice and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil.
Step 2
In a mortar and pestle, mash the garlic to a paste with the salt, and stir into the puree, along with the spices. Taste and adjust salt. Mound on a platter or in a wide bowl. Run a fork down the sides. Mix together the remaining lemon juice and olive oil and drizzle over the puree. Decorate with olives and serve with small lettuce leaves for scooping, and warm flat bread.

Ratings

4 out of 5

31 user ratings

Have you cooked this?

Private Notes

Leave a Private Comment on this recipe and see it here.

Comments

There aren’t any comments yet. Be the first to leave one.

audrey2 years ago

Fabulous, easy, creamy, totally satisfying. Don’t skip the Harrisa.

Annie4 years ago

The easiest way to cook a winter squash is to put the whole thing in the oven and roast at 350 or so until it is soft when you poke it. Then you take it out, cool a bit, cut in half and scoop out the seeds. So much easier than wrestling the seeds out of a raw squash! I learned this from the NYT cooking site, don't know why they are still telling us to cut and roast.

Courtney4 years ago

Cumin seeds suited our taste more than caraway seeds. This is a delicious recipe and absolutely my go-to when I can find the energy to lug kabochas home from the farmer’s market.

Private comments are only visible to you.