This past summer, the Bittman-inspired AH-MAZING pea spread took the cake for my “Favorite Summer Recipe”! Now, maybe a mere pea spread isn’t much to snuff at, but let me just say, even when tempted by a myriad of different veggies at the Union Square Market, I bee-lined for the shelling peas 3 weeks in a row and I only stopped because the growing season was over and the root vegetables took center stage.
Guys, I have BIG, DROOL-WORTHY news: this recipe is on par with the pea spread. Frankly, it’s on par with decadent chewy chocolate oat bars, ballooning peach dutch baby pancakes and the most glorious, artery-clogging artichoke dip. I have been terribly excited to post this recipe. Rest assured, this is my favorite recipe of the fall. I know we’re only a few weeks in (or so the calendar says – Arizona missed that memo when the temps hit 98 last week – ugh!), but mark my words, this recipe is my fall go-to. I whipped this together last Wednesday and on Thursday, I bee-lined to the butternuts piled at the feet of a favorite market vendor. If I can give a resounding “DO IT!” to any of my recipes on this blog, this would be one of them. You won’t be disappointed, I promise!
The recipe was inspired by one of my favorite cooking bloggers, Smitten Kitchen, who got the idea from another favorite food writer, Molly Wizenberg from Orangette. Deb from Smitten summed it up best in her post. She writes: “Molly’s first book comes out this spring and to say that I’m just looking forward to reading it — and making more where has this recipe been my whole life-level favorites like this — might be the understatement of all understatements. To hold me over until it comes out, though, I know exactly what I’ll be eating.”
Ingredients for Salad:
1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 butternut squash
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1/2 red onion, finely chopped
salt, pepper to taste
Ingredients for the Dressing:
1/4 cup tahini, well-stirred
juice of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons olive oil
2+ tablespoons water (for loosening)
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 tsp. sea salt
Methods:
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Peel and cube butternut squash and roll in a generous tablespoon of olive oil and a pinch of sea salt and pepper. Bake until browned around the edges and slightly crisp, about 20-25 minutes. For a quick tutorial, I show “peeling” pictures in a previous previous b-nut + couscous recipe.
2. Meanwhile, prepare dressing. Whisk tahini, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and garlic with a fork until well-incorporated. Loosen with water to reach desired consistency.
3. Rinse and drain a 15-oz can of garbanzo beans (or a larger can if you like; this recipe is forgiving and flexible) and pour into a separate bowl. Chop cilantro and parsley. Mix with beans. Finely chop a small red onion or half a large onion and combine.
4. If crispier squash is preferred, stick under a broiler for final 3 minutes of baking. When satisfied with squash, remove from oven and let sit for a few minutes.
5. Combine squash with the rest of the salad. When ready to incorporate the dressing, I recommend pouring 1/2 on top of the salad to start. Toss and sample-taste. This recipe makes a lot of dressing; I used nearly 2/3rds and kept the leftovers for sandwich “shmear” and leafy salad dressing. If you prefer a creamier salad, you may want to use all of it. I recommend making the entire batch (the leftovers really are marvelous) and pour and sample until you reach the taste you’re aiming for.
6. Serve hot or at room temperature (room temp. is my favorite).
