Currently, as a result of harvest in the garden, there is squash stashed in every nook and crany of the house. My partner had to put up extra shelving to house the winter squash since until they did, the kitchen table looked like this:

Therefore, expect many of the recipes in the coming month or two to feature squash in some way or other. The first one we started on was a mammoth 13 lb potimaron (almost identical to a Red Kuri if you aren’t familiar with the cultivar). By the end of it, there had been squash squares, squash-miso bowls, squash and millet squares, squash oatmeal, steamed squash, roasted squash and then, finally, this dip. It was so good I made it twice in a row – which is a rare occurence in our kitchen. It’s a nice switch from the regular hummus besides and the flavours are very different from the garlic and cumin that predominate most bean dips. This blend stands well on a veggie plate, with pita, slathered thickly over toast or in a sandwich. It’s also really nice warmed with some sesame oil poured in a thin stream overtop. And its warm slightly technicolor peach glow screams autumn and brightens up any serving bowl it graces. Enough of my going on about it – here’s the recipe (and it’s much shorter-winded than my text.)

Yield: 3 cups, give or take

What you need:

• 1-1/2 cups cooked winter squash (steamed, baked or roasted all work)
• 1 cup cooked fava beans (the split and hulled kind – no brown husks please)
• 1/4 cup tahini (sesame butter)
• 1 tablespoon sumac
• 4 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon ume plum paste
• 1/4 cup unsalted broth or water, to obtain desired texture (you may need more or none at all depending on how thick or thin the tahini is and how much water is in the squash)

What you do:

1. Put everything but the broth or water in the work bowl of a food processor and process until smooth. Add water the water, a bit at a time while the machine is running; as required to obtain desired texture.
2. Serve. With everything.

Variations:

• If you’re a garlic and/or onion fiend, feel free to add a clove of garlic or a bit of onion. Put it into the bowl of the food processor alone first and pulse several times until it’s minced finely. After that, proceed with the recipe as above;
• If you’re not into sumac, feel free to substitute another spice blend you like (like S & B curry powder for example). In that case, add a tablespoon or two of freshly squeezed lemon or lime juice to the dip when processing and reduce the added liquid accordingly.