Grilled Butternut Squash and Tahini Spread with Lamb Shish-Kebabs

  The past weekend presented us with a cornucopia of weather conditions! Saturday, with the wind and the rain and the snow assaulting the poor bulbs that were trying to poke their way up through the soil, we were seriously tempted to curl up in front of the fireplace all day long. But, the great outdoors, and the dogs were not to be ignored, so we headed out to the country. On our way back, we decided to stop at a farmhouse, where we had seen some horses pulling in some maple sap last week, and were delighted to find a few things for sale. We picked up some fresh eggs, maple syrup and pussy willows and headed home, to put together some menu ideas for the next day.  We were invited to Ingrid and Amer's for Sunday lunch and wanted to bring something that would compliment the lamb shish-kebabs that they were planning to grill.

The maple syrup was begging to be used, so I decided to use it on the Roasted Butternut Squash and Tahini Spread. This dish was a quick and healthy change from baba ganoush- a bit sweeter, but spicy, thanks to the addition of Harissa.  Add this gradually, to reach the level of heat that you are comfortable with!

 Roasted Butternut Squash and Tahini Spread

This is delicious as a dip for vegetables or pita bread, and as a spread with the grilled lamb

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1 large butternut squash, halved lengthwise and seeded

3 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp salt

5 tbsp tahini

½ cup Greek yogurt (2%MF)

2 small garlic cloves, smashed

1 to 2 tsps harissa, to taste

1 tsp lemon juice

1 tsp mixed black and white sesame seeds

1 ½ tsp pomegranate molasses(the maple syrup was a is delicious substitute, but add more lemon juice to the spread!)

Preheat barbecue on HIGH for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to MEDIUM-LOW. Brush the cut surface of the squash with olive oil and sprinkle with cinnamon and ½ tsp salt. Place on the upper rack of the barbecue and roast for 70 minutes, with the lid closed, until tender. Remove and allow to cool.

Scoop out the cooled flesh and transfer to a food processor, with the tahini, Greek yogurt,  garlic cloves, harissa, lemon juice and remaining salt. Pulse until everything is combined into a coarse paste.

Serve on a platter, topped with sesame seeds and drizzled with pomegranate molasses.

 Lamb Shish-kebabs

3 lbs. Boneless lamb shoulder, trimmed and cut into 1 ½ -inch cubes

4 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp lemon juice, freshly squeezed

2 tsp cumin

2 tsp sumac

1 tsp mint

salt and pepper

wooden skewers,( soaked in water for 30 minutes to prevent burning)

Combine olive oil, lemon juice, cumin, sumac and mint in a large resealable plastic bag. Add cubed lamb and marinate overnight in the refrigerator.

Preheat barbecue on HIGH for 10 minutes, then reduce to MEDIUM. Season shish-kebabs with salt and pepper and place them on the well oiled grids. Grill for 3 minutes, then turn and grill for another 3 minutes. The lamb should still be pink on the inside. 

We served them with vegetable kebabs, which we prepared simply by tossing the vegetables in olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper, then threading them on soaked wooden skewers. We grilled them along side the lamb kebabs.