Tunisian Winter Squash Puree Recipes

WINTER SQUASH PUREE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Cut the acorn the squash in half and scoop out seeds and filaments. Set them, cut side up in a baking dish just large enough to hold them comfortably and pour hot water down sides of dish to come up about 1-inch up the squash. Bake for an hour or until entirely tender. Peel away skin and puree in food processor with maple syrup and butter; season to taste with salt, pepper and nutmeg.

TUNISIAN WINTER SQUASH PUREE

Steps:

• 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.
• 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.

WINTER SQUASH PUREE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. cut squash in half, scoop out seeds, brush cut surfaces with oil and set them face down on a baking sheet. Bake until very tender, about 30 to 45 minutes, depending on how large the squash is.
• While this is baking, bring the milk, cinnamon stick, cloves and garlic to a simmer. Remove from heat and let the milk infuse while squash is baking.
• When squash is done, remove it from oven and scoop out the cooked flesh which you should transfer to a food processor or blender. Strain the infused milk to remove the spices and garlic and blend infused milk with the squash to make a puree. Beat in butter if you wish and season to taste with salt and pepper. You can make this in advance and reheat in a double boiler.

WINTER SQUASH PUREE

Steps:

• Boil: Bring a large pot of water to a boil, then add 1 tablespoon salt and the squash. Return to a boil, then simmer until very soft, about 10 to 15 minutes. Drain well.
• Dry: Return squash to pot and cook over low heat, stirring, to dry squash, 1 to 2 minutes.
• Puree: Working in batches, transfer squash to a food processor. Puree with butter until very smooth, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, and serve immediately.

WINTER SQUASH PUREE WITH TAHINI

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Cover a baking sheet with foil and brush lightly with olive oil. If using butternut squash, cut the squash in half, scoop out the seeds and stringy membranes, and lay cut-side down on the foil-covered baking sheet. If using a thick slice of squash, scrape off any membranes. Bake 45 minutes to one hour, or until very soft. A knife should cut through it without resistance, and the skin should be wrinkled. Remove from the heat and allow to cool, then peel and transfer to a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Add the tahini, and puree until smooth and creamy.
• Combine the garlic and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a mortar and pestle, and mash to a paste. Add to the food processor along with the lemon juice and cumin, and blend together. Add salt to taste.
• Mound the puree in a wide bowl or on a plate. Drizzle a little olive oil over the top, and garnish with pomegranate seeds. Serve with warm pita bread.

TUNISIAN WINTER SQUASH SALAD

Steps:

• Bring about 6 cups of water to a boil in a large pot. Then add the squash, salt and the garlic clove. Lower the heat and simmer until the squash is very tender.
• Remove the squash to a mesh strainer, and squeeze the garlic out of its skin into the strainer. Mash the two together to help get rid of excess water.
• Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and stir in the harissa, salt to taste, the coriander, lemon juice and olive oil. Taste, adjust the seasonings, then serve.

SQUASH PUREE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Halve and seed squash. Lay cut side down on baking sheet.
• Bake until very soft, about an hour. Turn cut side up, and let sit until cool enough to handle. Scrape flesh into blender or food processor. Add butter to taste, and puree until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Add honey to taste if desired. Stir in thyme and hot pepper. Reheat over very low heat, stirring constantly. Serve hot.

SPICED WINTER SQUASH PUREE WITH ROASTED GARLIC

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350'. Cut the squash in half and scoop out the seeds. Brush lightly with olive oil and place cut-side-down on a heavy baking sheet. Sprinkle two tablespoons of water onto the pan. Pull the loose papery skin off the garlic, keeping the head intact, and wrap it in a sheet of foil. Place the baking sheet and the foil packet in the oven and bake 40 to 50 minutes, until the squash is puree tender and the garlic gives when the package is pressed. Set aside until cool enough to handle, about 20 minutes. With a spoon, scoop the flesh out of the squash into the bowl of a food processor. Separate the garlic cloves and squeeze the soft pulp into the work bowl. Process the mixture to a fine puree, then add the butter or cream and salt to taste. Make the Tunisian Spice Mix, if desired. Combine the spices in a small bowl. Add half the spice mix to the puree, then taste, adding more spice if desired and fresh lemon juice to lift the flavors. Adjust the seasoning.