Squash Baba Ghanoush

Seasoned, roasted vegetable pastes are a common mezze, or appetizer, across the Middle East, where they are typically eaten with flat bread.  Classic baba ghanoush is made from roasted eggplant, a crop which has been grown in the Middle East for at least 4000 years.  After European contact with the New World, a large number of new crops were introduced, including squash.  Middle eastern peoples quickly realized that these new vegetables could also be used in their traditional dishes.  ‘Fusion’ cuisine is thus nothing new, as this recipe shows.  To make the best squash baba ghanoush, use a sweet, non-stringy Curcurbita maxima variety.

2 lbs hubbard squash or any C. maxima variety
2 tablespoons olive oil
1½ tablespoons garlic, minced
¼ cup lemon juice
2 tablespoons tahini
salt to taste
sumac and extra virgin olive oil to garnish

Cut squash in half, remove seeds, brush with olive oil and bake uncovered for 1½ hours at 325º F. until tender.  Don’t worry if the squash meat browns on the surface; it adds to the flavor.  Remove from oven, cool. 

Scoop pulp from skin and place in a mixing bowl.  Add garlic, lemon, tahini, and salt.  Mash and mix vigorously with a fork until all the ingredients are combined.  It is ok for there to be some small lumps, but you don’t want large chunks of squash remaining.  Scoop into serving bowl, shake on ground sumac, and cover with a layer of olive oil.  Serve with your favorite flat-bread.   

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