I’ve been looking forward to this blog hop for a long time. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday, and this will be my third year in a row spending it away from home. My Thanksgiving dishes, like all of my cooking, have taken on a Middle Eastern and Mediterranean flare, and this harissa roasted butternut squash is an example of that. It’s flavorful and easy, cozy and, although I originally developed it as a Sukkot side dish (check out the original piece here) it’s perfect for the Thanksgiving table. It’s a great side dish that goes with just about anything. It’s also vegan and could be the centerpiece of a lovely vegetarian meal.For those of you who have been reading the news, my husband and I are fine. I wasn’t even sure I’d be able to get to this post today, but am happy I have. The city where we live, Be’er Sheva, has had a number of rocket attacks over the past few days and things in Israel are heating up. We came to Tel Aviv for the weekend where things are significantly quieter, although they had their first rocket here in 20 years. So I apologize if I’m a little behind in pinning your gorgeous recipes this week. Things here are a little hectic and unpredictable at the moment…
I’ll be very Thankful indeed if things quiet down enough for us to celebrate Thanksgiving on Thursday. Here’s hoping for peace!
- 1 (2 ¼ pound / about 1 kg) butternut squash
- ½ cup shelled walnuts
- ½ cup coarse breadcrumbs
- ¼ cup chopped fresh mint
- Salt
- ¼ cup harissa
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Preheat the oven to 350F.
- Wash and halve the butternut squash, remove the seeds, and slice into ¼-inch thick wedges. Arrange on 2 baking sheets that have been lightly coated with olive oil.
- Grind walnuts in a food processor until the consistency of very rough breadcrumbs. Mix together with the breadcrumbs, mint and salt and set aside.
- In a small bowl, whisk together harissa and olive oil.
- Brush harissa mixture over the tops of the butternut squash slices. Sprinkle evenly with the walnut and breadcrumb mixture and pat down slightly.
- Put in the oven and bake for 30 minutes, or until squash is tender and breadcrumbs are golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and serve.
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