“What’s in this dip?”

Am I going or not? Day job drama had me turned around, and the book club dinner I’d anticipated for weeks was suddenly more than I could handle. Until my AMAZING and supportive husband came home and reminded me it’s times like these we need our friends the most.

The gathered group included many I’d not seen in years. We drank a yummy red, feasted on a simple (and delicious) Mediterranean salad, and finished the evening with cake covered in sprinkles to celebrate two birthday girls.

My contribution? A seasonal dip pulled together with what was on hand.

Roasted pumpkin & onion bean dip (serves a crowd)
1 sugar pumpkin
1 large sweet onion
1 small red onion
extra-virgin olive oil (evoo)
1 15 oz. can cannellini beans
seasonings: garlic powder, cumin, sumac, chipotle pepper, red pepper flakes, pink Himalayan sea salt
juice from one lemon
4 T tahini
1/4 c Trader Joe’s Vermont Ghosted Maple Syrup (can sub with standard maple syrup)

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Carefully stab several small holes into the pumpkin and place it on a parchment covered baking sheet. Peel and halve the two onions, then place them on a sheet of heavy duty foil. (You can layer two sheets of regular foil if it’s all you’ve got.) Drizzle evoo over the onions and tightly wrap the foil around the onions. Add to the baking sheet.

Bake for 45-60 minutes. Or longer. You really can’t overroast the pumpkin or onions. They just get mushier and yummier.

Once done allow to cool til you can (again, carefully) open the pumpkin. Scoop out the seeds. (You can save them to roast and eat… Google it.) Scoop the soft pumpkin flesh into a food processor. Open the onion packets, cut away the stems, and add them and the oil to the food processor. Cover and blend.

Drain and rinse white beans and add to the party. Blend again.

Note: Here is where you’ll get mad at me. I rarely measure when cooking. (Baking is a different story.) I added copious amounts of garlic powder, cumin, and sumac. Lesser amounts of the hot stuff. Was pretty generous with the salt.

Next, lemon juice, tahini, and maple syrup. Blend.

Taste and adjust seasoning, tahini, or syrup as desired then serve with pita chips or freshly baked crostini. (You know the drill: Google it.)

Enjoy, my friends.