Butternut Squash & Tahini Dip
Dips on dips. Yet another dip recipe, yes.
For a while I was super into dips. The few months right after we ate at Zahav, to be exact. November 2019-February 2020 if you wanna get technical. The few months where we still gathered with friends without a second thought and shared meals joyously. We are just slowly returning to that, but it still comes with the acknowledgement that we are all taking a (hopefully small and) calculated risk.
That winter during dip fever, someone for some reason that is slipping my mind at the moment decided we should hold our own little Bake-Off challenge. It seemed like a cute idea, but no one wanted to plan it. Noah offered to host, some ideas were thrown around, but in the end my work instincts took over and I panic-planned the whole thing.
I didn’t want to participate, not that it would have been fair, so it all worked out. My prompt for the technical was the unpublished Bravetart impossible pecan pie but with very vague instructions. It was very chaotic, but I think everyone had fun!
The other round for the event was a home assigned “signature round.” Everyone brought in “something yeasted” and I provided dips to go with everyone’s creations. This was one of the dips I made.
(The only photo of said dip in existence, c. Feb 2020)
Here’s the thing about this dip. It’s not my favorite standalone dip. It’s a little sweet for me. The combination of squash and tahini is very nice, but it’s a little mellow.
The thing is, though, it fits so perfectly into a lineup of other bolder, lighter, saltier, spicier dips at a large gathering. You know, your firey roasted salsas, salty buttermilk ranches, garlic toums, buffalo chicken dips, or whatever salty glutamate/gut bombs you decide put out. This is the sweet, hearty background thing that grounds it all. It’s what enables your guests to go back for more of the big flavors without tiring themselves out. It’s not flashy, but it’s the hero we need at a dip-driven party spread.
Trust me. It’s a keeper.
Butternut Squash & Tahini Dip
Combine evenly:
2.5 lbs butternut squash, halved lengthwise
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
Roast skin-side up in a 400F oven until soft (about 70 minutes).
Let cool, and peel all the flesh from the skin.
In a food processor, combine:
all the meat of the squash
70g tahini paste
120g greek yogurt
2 garlic cloves
Pulse until desired consistency. Course-ish is what the original called for, but I prefer a smooth and creamy dip.
Transfer into a wide and shallow bowl, and make artistic swirls on the surface.
Garnish with:
drizzle date syrup ~1.5 tsp
sprinkle of black and white sesame seeds (~1 tsp)
chopped cilantro (~2tbsp)
Notes:
Unbelievable that I could find date syrup so easily in St. Louis but not Philadelphia. But I subbed with cheap balsamic glaze to an okay effect this time.
You can also make the dip with a powerful immersion blender in a tall and narrow container. Or according to the recipe, you can just mush by hand with a fork or potato masher.
From Ottolengthi’s Jerusalem. A very good book with lots of easily executable yet interesting recipes like this one.