This is a variation of the traditional eggplant babaganoush where pomegranate molasses is added in to lend sweetness and depth. Much of the flavor of good babaganoush comes from charring the eggplant. Here, turning the pumpkin skin down to finish the cooking caramelizes it and lends that smoky quality to the puree. Using a little smoked paprika can also amp up that quality. Use this as a room temperature dip or as a warm side dish for Thanksgiving. Although the recipe uses orange juice, it is possible that the orange juice will not be acidic enough to balance the squash, so you might use lemon juice or a combination of both lemon and orange. A ripe Meyer lemon would do the trick also as it is sweet yet still fairly tart.
INGREDIENTS:
1 small Winter Luxury pumpkin, halved through the stem and seeded (save the seeds for roasting to use as garnish or snacks)-enough to yield 4 cups of puree (if there is more than 4 cups, freeze the remainder or use elsewhere) 3 cloves garlic, unpeeled 1/3 cup tart fresh squeezed orange juice, or as needed (if the juice is not tart, replace some of the orange with lemon juice) ¼ teaspoon dried thyme Small pinch (1/8th teaspoon or less) powdered cinnamon 3 tablespoons tahini ¼ cup pomegranate molasses, or as needed Salt and pepper to taste Light flavored olive oil or grapeseed oil as needed Optional- ¼ teaspoon smoked paprikaMETHOD:
Heat the oven to 400°F. Oil the inside of the pumpkin halves lightly and rub the garlic cloves with a little oil as well. Place pumpkin skin side up on a foil lined sheet pan with the garlic in a corner of the pan, and place in the center of the oven. Roast for 15-20 minutes, then check on the garlic. It should be getting soft inside. If the pumpkin is giving off a lot of liquid and the garlic is swimming in it, put the garlic into a small cup made of foil so they roast, not braise. Cook until the garlic is very soft inside and then remove the cloves. Cook the pumpkin until you can leave a dent in the skin when you poke it with your finger. Carefully drain any liquid from the pan and reserve it. Turn the pumpkin halves over and continue to cook until it has caramelized to a golden brown.
Remove from the oven, and as soon as you can work with it without hurting yourself, remove the pulp from the skin. Peel the garlic cloves and add to a food processor or blender along with the tahini, thyme, cinnamon, orange/lemon juice and a pinch of salt and some pepper. Whizz to puree the garlic. Add the pumpkin puree to the machine and drizzle with half the pomegranate molasses and a tablespoon of oil. Pulse to mix and puree. If the puree is sluggish moving, especially in a blender, poke a hole down the middle of the puree and drizzle in a little of the reserved liquid the pumpkin exuded during roasting, or use oil, then puree until almost smooth.
Taste the puree and add more pomegranate molasses if desired, and if you wish for a smoky flavor, season with the smoked paprika. More citrus juice might be needed to offset the sweetness as well.
When you have the flavors balanced, finish pureeing to a smooth consistency. Serve room temperature as a dip topped with roasted pumpkin seeds, or warm up in a sauté pan or microwave and serve as a warm side-dish.
Chef’s Notes:
If you wish for a more charred flavor, you can oil the skins and put the pumpkins, skin down, on a medium heat grill, or turn on the broiler while still in the oven skin up, to char the skin a bit and caramelize the flesh. This will add a pleasant smoky aroma to the dish. When it comes to the cinnamon in the dish, you want just a little to add some depth to the pumpkin flavor, but you don’t want to really know it is there. If the squash is really sweet, you may want to just go with the lemon juice. The pomegranate molasses does contribute some tartness, but it is also quite sweet.
Serves: 4
Source: Chef Andrew E Cohen
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