This Butternut Squash Dip Acts as Its Own Centerpiece

December 9, 2024

This genius recipe from “Big Dip Energy” combines butternut squash with ricotta and curry — and serves it in the hollowed out gourd

Alyse Whitney looked far and wide to find inspiration for the 88 dip recipes that appear in her debut cookbook Big Dip Energy. For her curry squashcotta dip, she turned to her friend Caroline Schiff, a celebrated pastry chef who had shared her recipe for squash and ricotta dip with her a few years earlier. As Whitney points out in the recipe’s headnote, ricotta is typically used in desserts (and dessert dips), but it works well here, too, lending both milky flavor and rich but not heavy texture to the dip. Whitney adapted the recipe to roast the squash whole (after halving and seeding it), which allows you to scoop out the roasted flesh instead of futzing with prep work. The result, which is served in one of the hollowed-out squash halves, is a true showstopper, and may just inspire us to serve all of our dips in repurposed gourds.

Curry Squashcotta Sheet Pan Dip Recipe

Adapted from Big Dip Energy

Serves a lil’ get-together (8 to 10 people)

Ingredients:

1 medium butternut squash (about 3 pounds)
1 garlic head
¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for garnish
2½ teaspoons kosher salt
1 container (15 ounces) whole-milk ricotta cheese
2 tablespoons Japanese-style curry powder, such as S&B, plus more for garnish
¼ cup roughly chopped fresh cilantro leaves, for garnish

Instructions:

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a sheet pan with parchment or aluminum foil and set aside.

Step 2: Place a damp paper towel under your cutting board to hold it steady and make sure your knife is sharp before tackling the squash. Wash the squash and carefully slice off a thin piece of its roundest side so it can lay flat and secure on the cutting board. Cut the squash in half lengthwise, scoop out the seeds, and discard. Transfer to the prepared sheet pan, flesh side down. Cut about ½ inch off the top of the garlic bulb to expose the cloves.

Step 3: Drizzle ¼ cup of the oil evenly across both halves of the squash, inside and out. Rub the squash in your hands to distribute the oil, then sprinkle 1½ teaspoons of the salt evenly across the squash. Put the garlic bulb on a piece of foil large enough to enclose it, then drizzle the cut surface of the garlic with the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and sprinkle with ½ teaspoon of the salt. Wrap it up into a little bundle and place it on the sheet pan next to the squash. Roast for 1 hour, or until you can insert a knife into the squash with no resistance. If using pre-cut squash, it should take about 30 to 40 minutes; check for doneness starting at 30!

Step 4: Unwrap the garlic gift and let cool. Let the squash rest until cool enough to handle, then use a large spoon to scoop out the flesh into a large bowl. (When scooping out the best-looking half, leave enough flesh in it so it holds its shape to use as a serving vessel.) It should be so tender that you can mash it with a potato masher, but it’s even easier if you use an electric hand mixer, food processor, or immersion blender.

Squeeze the roasted garlic cloves out of their papery skins straight into the bowl. Mash, mix, process, or blend until smooth. Add the ricotta, curry powder, and remaining ½ teaspoon salt and transfer to a serving bowl or the most beautiful of your squash halves.

Step 5: Use a spoon to carve out a little dipvot or moat in the squash dip , then fill with a hefty drizzle of olive oil and finish with a sprinkle of curry powder and the chopped cilantro.

MODIPFICATIONS: I use Japanese curry powder, which is comparatively less spicy, slightly sweet, and includes fewer spices than Indian curry powder. But if you have a favorite curry powder, feel free to subdiptute. Just add a little at a time until it tastes good to you.