Moruno’s Roasted Butternut Squash with Dukkah
Moruno is located in Los Angeles and features Spanish and Moroccan flavors. One of the most popular dishes is their roasted butternut squash with butter and dukkah. Dukkah is an Egyptian condiment that includes sesame seeds, cashews and plenty of coriander, cumin. Serve this savory dish at your next dinner party!
Dukkah:
1 1/2 cup raw cashews
1/3 cup sesame seeds
1 tablespoon nigella seeds
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
2 tablespoons coriander seeds
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
1 1/2 teaspoons Aleppo pepper
Salt, to taste
Heat the oven to 325 degrees. Toast the cashews on a rimmed baking sheet until lightly golden and fragrant, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove and cool.
Combine the sesame and nigella seeds on a rimmed baking sheet and toast in the oven until fragrant, 4 to 6 minutes, or toast in a sauté pan until fragrant. Remove and cool.
Roughly chop the cashews and roughly grind or crush the cumin and coriander. In a sauté pan, melt the butter over medium heat until it begins to brown. Add the coriander and cumin and toast until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the cashews and toast until the cashews begin to brown, about 2 minutes. Stir in the sesame and nigella seeds, along with the Aleppo pepper and 1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste. Remove from heat and set aside.
Roasted butternut squash with dukkah:
1 butternut squash, halved lengthwise and seeds removed
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, softened
Salt
Prepared dukkah
2 tablespoons browned butter
2 to 4 tablespoons honey, or to taste
Heat the oven to 450 degrees. Score the flesh of each half in a crosshatch pattern, butter each half generously with butter, and liberally salt.
Place each half, cut-side up, on a rimmed baking sheet and roast until the squash is softened and the outside is caramelized, 40 to 60 minutes, checking every 10 minutes. The squash is ready when it is readily pierced with a paring knife.
Serve each squash half still hot, drizzled with one-half of the dukkah, 1 tablespoon browned butter and 1 to 2 tablespoons honey, or to taste.
Serves 4-8
Recipe and photo credit: LA Times
