Roasted Butternut Squash and Red Onion with Tahini and Za’atar
As everyone across the country is rethinking their Thanksgiving holiday, moving from traditional to reimagined, I too am doing the same. We are going to start our day in typical fashion. Gary and the kids are going to do an informal Turkey Trot through the neighborhood while I will enjoy an hour or two of peace at home, music playing, table setting, oven warming (with having the house to myself feeling all the more special this year). There will be no Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on the TV but we will start a fire early on to cozy things up. With no guests to expect or places to be, we will start cooking sometime late morning/early afternoon. Each member of my family has chosen a couple of recipes that they would like to make and our plan is to be in the kitchen, cooking together. Truth be told, this is my dream day and having just celebrated a birthday, I feel as though this is my grande finale gift.
Last week, I assigned everyone the task of choosing their recipes so that I could create a shopping list and hit the market only once. As the recipes started streaming in, my excitement grew. Gary wants to start the day with oysters, a family fave, and took one for the team by claiming the turkey. Reed is going to make mashed potatoes and is still looking for a Thanksgiving cake recipe (we are accepting all suggestions). Mattes chose an apple crumble and my Brussels Sprouts. And Kyle is making Cranberry-Brie Bites and Biscuits with Sausage Gravy (something that has never before graced our Thanksgiving table but I can imagine might become tradition). I took the items that I can’t live without, but probably no one else would miss, Cranberry Sauce, Balsamic Glazed Pearl Onions, and I will experiment with a new stuffing recipe this year, Smitten Kitchen‘s Kale and Caramelized Onion Stuffing. I thought that we were set until I was leafing through the Wednesday, November 18, 2020 Food section of The Washington Post and came across a recipe that felt familiar, Roasted Butternut Squash and Red Onion with Tahini and Za’atar. Turns out that it was an adaptation of a recipe from Jerusalem: A Cookbook by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi. I had actually made it before and now knew it needed to be the “orange” on this year’s Thanksgiving table. It is quick and easy and as written below will serve four as a side dish, perfectly sized for Thanksgiving 2020.
Yes, this year will look and feel different but we can find comfort in the fact that most people’s Thanksgiving tables will be similar to our own. And next year should be back to normal, if not bigger and better. Bottomline, we can do this…we are in it together. Happy Thanksgiving!
Roasted Butternut Squash and Red Onion with Tahini and Za’atar
Ingredients
- 1 med butternut squash )about 1 lb 8 oz) peeled and cut into 1-by-2 1/2-inch chunks or you can use pre-cubed butternut squash
- 1 lg red onion cut into eighths
- 3 Tbls olive oil plus 1 tsp, divided
- 1 3/4 tsp kosher salt divided
- freshly ground black pepper
- 3 Tbls tahini
- 2 Tbls water
- 1 Tbls fresh lemon juice
- 1 small garlic clove grated
- 3 Tbls raw pine nuts optional (I ommitted)
- 1 Tbls za'atar
- 1 Tbls coarsely chopped fresh parsley
- flaky sea salt for sprinkling
Instructions
- Position a baking rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 475F.
- In a large bowl, toss the squash and onion with 3 Tbls olive oil, 1 tsp salt, and a few twists of black pepper. Spread the vegetables on a large, rimmed baking sheet, and roast for 25-35 minutes, or until the vegetables have taken on some color and are cooked through with a little char. Keep and eye on the onion, if it starts to burn before the squash is cooked, you may need to remove it and finish roasting the squash). Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.
- While the vegetables are roasting, in a small bowl, whisk together the tahini, water, lemon juice, garlic and 1/4 tsp of the salt until the sauce is the consistency of honey. You might need to add more water or tahini.
- If using pine nuts, in a small skillet over medium low heat, heat the remaining 1 tsp of olive oil until shimmering. Add the pine nuts and remaining tsp of salt and cook, stirring often until the nuts are golden brown, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and transfer to a small bowl.
- To serve, spread the vegetables onto a serving platter and drizzle with the tahini sauce. Sprinkle the pine nuts and their oil on top and garnish with the za'atar and parsley. Sprinkle a little flaky sea salt and serve.