spiced pumpkin rather than pumpkin spice … Pumpkin Hummus

The backlash against pumpkin spice has been particularly fierce this season. Granted, everything seems to be pumpkin spiced in some way and it’s become quite obnoxious. I blame Starbuck’s. Their latte success has convinced every food manufacturer that they too can capitalize off this seasonal flavor regardless of it makes any sense. The list of absurd products is endless– Pumpkin Spice Doritos? Really? With minimal effort you can find pumpkin spiced margarine, M&M’s, sugar free gum, Pringles, frozen waffles, non-dairy creamer, cookies, pudding and even special Four Loko, that jacked up energy drink that makes people crazy. Take a trip to Trader Joe’s and there’s an entire pumpkin spice section (see!). It’s all a bit much.

It’s a shame because “pumpkin spice” is actually a lovely flavor combination once you get away from the artificial flavors and syrups. As for real pumpkin flavor, I bet the closest these things have come to an actual pumpkin is the graphic on the packaging. Such a shame. But we can take this back, people. Let’s right this wrong.

As I’ve mentioned before, I was once an over ambitious pastry chef, full of ideals and snotty attitudes. I made a pumpkin pie from the very beginning, starting with an actual pumpkin. I did that exactly once, as it seemed like a lot of work without an equal or better payoff. From that moment on, I was back to canned puree without any reservations.

But I’ve always loved the idea of cooking with those cute sugar pumpkins. They pull me in with a tractor beam like intensity at the fall markets. Only now I know how to make things that work really well with fresh pumpkin, things other than pies. I fill whole pumpkins with bread and cheese and cream and roast slowly for a show stoppingly delicious dish. I might add roasted bits to salads and stews and perfect fall soups come together easily. And now, I make dips. Fancy party dips.

I saw the recipe at a friend’s house; in a cookbook I grabbed off her shelf … Pumpkin Hummus. It looked interesting, as it contained no chickpeas. Doesn’t hummus always have chickpeas? Can it even be considered hummus without them? I wasn’t sure so I looked it up. Technically, yes hummus is always made with chickpeas. Nowhere did I see otherwise though there are infinite flavor additions both on the store shelf and recipes galore – garlic, roasted garlic, red pepper, spinach, and on and on and on. Much like pumpkin spice crap actually. But nowhere did I see a product or recipe that was chickpea free. I was intrigued.

Of course I never got around to jotting down the recipe and later when I tried to find it again, it wasn’t in the book I thought it was. I’m not too sure where it came from so I started with the bits I did remember. I bought a sugar pie pumpkin and roasted it until tender in a hot oven. I pureed half, as it seemed like a lot and left enough for a re-do if necessary. I added tahini, olive oil and spices I thought would compliment the slight sweetness of the squash including coriander, cinnamon, a little cayenne for heat and za’atar, a Middle Eastern spice blend of sumac, thyme, sesame, marjoram and oregano. I figure most of us have a jar of this lying around from our Ottolenghi obsessions, that we’re not too sure what to do with. It works really well here but if you don’t have za’atar increase the lemon juice slightly and add a mix of thyme, marjoram and oregano for a total of ½ teaspoon. (By the way, keep that za’atar around; Book Two comes out next week.)

The result is the creamiest, silkiest and most definitely hummus-like dip I’ve ever tasted. Surprised the hell out of me. There’s a slightly sweet undertone from the pumpkin, a little kick from the cayenne and an utterly addictive quality about the whole thing. It is perfectly seasonal, party appropriate and not a hint of a “pumpkin spice” cliché to be found.

If you’re feeling super Martha-like, rinse those seeds from pulp, toss them with a little oil, salt and whatever spice you like and roast in a 350°F oven, stirring once or twice, until crispy. They make a really nice garnish on top of the hummus or are a nice snack on their own. Homemade pita chips are made pretty much the same way too.

STRESS THERAPY BAKING FACTOR: PUMPKIN SPICE THIS. I wasn’t really sure about this one at first but in the end, was beyond pleased with the result. Just to make sure it was as good as I thought, I tested it out on some unsuspecting friends. It was demolished in no time. Everyone expressed surprise that there were no chickpeas and commented on a slight sweetness not usually present in purchased hummus. It was beyond a hit. As one friend stated: “I don’t care what the hell is in this, it’s GOOD”.  Well, alright.

Other delightful pumpkin recipes from this blog: Pumpkin Bundt Cake, Pumpkin Cream Cheese Roulade, Classic Pumpkin Pie, Pumpkin Spice Granola
On this blog five years ago: Peach Crostada, Apple Pear Crisp 
On this blog four years ago: Chocolate Raspberry Cream Cheese Turnovers 
On this blog three years ago: Plum Kuchen
On this blog two years ago: Fig BBQ Sauce 
On this blog last year: Fresh Corn Polenta with Roasted Vegetable Ratatouille

SPICED PUMPKIN HUMMUS
Makes about 1 ½ cups
So what do you do with any extra pumpkin? Puree it into a soup is the easiest but you can add chunks to fall stews or chili.  It’s particularly nice with sauteed greens like collards or kale or toss chunks with a spicy maple butter for a lovely side dish. A little extra puree stirred in toward the end of cooking a risotto is rather delciious too.

1 ½ pounds fresh pie pumpkin (generally half of a standard pie pumpkin)
4 garlic cloves
2 Tablespoons tahini
2 Tablespoons olive oil
½ teaspoon za’atar
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne
1/8 teaspoon ground coriander
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

roasted pumpkin seeds for garnish
pita chips, for serving

1. Preheat the oven to 425°
2. Cut the pumpkin in half and scoop out the seeds/pulp. If desired separate the seeds from the pulp for later roasting.
3. Peel the pumpkin and cut into wedges – I used half of my pumpkin and cut it into 4 wedges.
4. Place two wedges on a sheet of foil, top two unpeeled garlic cloves, drizzle with 1 teaspoon olive oil and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Wrap tightly, place on a heavy sheet pan and repeat with the other wedges.
5. Roast 25 minutes, rotate the pan and roast for another 25-30 minutes until tender. Let cool.
6. Once cool enough to handle, peel the garlic cloves and add to the food processor along with the pumpkin (break into chunks to make it easier to blend), tahini, olive oil, za’atar, cinnamon, salt, cayenne, coriander and lemon juice. Process until smooth.
7. Transfer the hummus to a bowl and taste; adjust seasoning if necessary. Garnish with roasted pumpkin seeds, if desired. Serve cold or room temperature with pita chips. Can be made up to 3 days ahead and kept refrigerated until needed.