Butternut squash m’tabbal M’tabbal qarae

The difference between m’tabbal and baba ganoush is the addition of tahini. For us, if it has tahini in it, then it’s m’tabbal. Other opinions, as always, are available. Whatever you call this sort of dip, three rules remain absolute: it’s all about the smokiness of the eggplants, lemons will be squeezed, and there will be garlic. The squash is our own (quite literally) sweet addition. Serve this as a dip, to scoop up with warm pita, or as a side to all sorts of things—grilled meat or fish, for example, or a range of roasted veg. Keeping notes: Double the batch and make more than you need, if you like; it keeps well in the fridge for up to three days. Just bring it back to room temperature rather than serving it fridge-cold. Serves eight as a dip, or six as part of a spread

Great

% Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Step 2

Cut the squash in half, lengthwise, and then scoop out and discard the seeds. Using a knife, make shallow crosshatch cuts across the flesh and then place cut side up on the prepared baking sheet. Drizzle each half with 1 tsp of oil and sprinkle with ⅛ tsp of salt and a good grind of black pepper. Bake for 50 minutes, or until the squash is very soft.

Step 3

While the squash is roasting, slice the top off the head of garlic, horizontally, so that the cloves are exposed. Place in the middle of a square of aluminum foil and drizzle with ½ tsp of oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Wrap tightly in the foil and bake for 40 minutes (at the same time as the squash is in the oven), until the cloves are soft and golden brown.

Step 4

Remove both the squash and the garlic from the oven and set aside to cool. Once cool, scoop out the flesh of the squash and mash it coarsely with a spoon or fork—this should weigh about 1 lb 2 oz/500g. Place the flesh in a mixing bowl and set aside. The skin can be discarded. Squeeze out the cooked garlic cloves, roughly chop them, and add to the bowl with the squash. The papery skin and the foil can be discarded.

Step 5

Scoop the flesh out of the charred eggplant; you should have around 1 lb 2 oz/500g. Roughly chop to form a coarse mash. Add this to the bowl of squash and garlic along with the tahini, lemon juice, and 1½ tsp of salt.

Step 6

Mix well to combine—we like the texture rough, but use an immersion blender to blitz and make it a bit smoother, if you prefer—then spread out on a large serving platter or individual plates. Top with the chile, dried mint, mint leaves, and green onion. Drizzle with the remaining 2½

Step 7

tbsp of oil and serve.