Libyan Butternut Squash Pudding for Passover

This Libyan butternut squash pudding would make a perfect post-seder dessert: it’s pareve, relatively light, and, most importantly, not only can chill for hours (or even overnight) but is in fact at its best right out of a lengthy stay in the fridge.

Very like a lighter pumpkin pie filling (sans crust, of course), this dish hails from Libya’s Jewish community. Libyan Jewish cuisine is one with which I was almost entirely unfamiliar prior to perusing the section devoted to its Passover recipes and traditions in Jennifer Abadi’s wonderful Too Good to Passover, which you can read more about here.

This book is so jam-packed not only with delicious recipes but also fascinating cultural information; these are just a few of the interesting facts I learned from the section on Libya:

• Libyan Jews celebrate a holiday called Bsi’sa two weeks before Passover. To observe it, they traditionally made a dough, also called bsi’sa, out of wheat, barley, and black cumin seed, meant to symbolize the mortar the ancient Israelites used to build the pyramids in Egypt. Wrapped around Jordan almonds, the preparation of the dough was a community affair, with everyone singing and dipping their fingers in the dough while making a wish for the new year.
• Lamb is a popular Passover food among Libyan Jews, both to commemorate the sacrificial lamb offered by the Israelites before the Exodus from Egypt and also because lamb was an expensive meat reserved for special occasions.
• Italy—especially Rome—has a large Libyan Jewish community today.

This recipe is slightly modified from Jennifer Abadi’s Too Good to Passover.

Butternut Squash Pudding with Cinnamon, Ginger, and Vanilla (Helwat al Yaktin)

1 tablespoon safflower, canola, or vegetable oil

2 ½ pounds fresh butternut squash, peeled and chopped into 1-inch cubes

½ cup vanilla or regular almond or other nut milk, or coconut milk

3 large egg yolks, lightly beaten

½ teaspoon ground ginger

½ teaspoon cinnamon

¼ cup dark brown sugar

¼ teaspoon kosher salt

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Roughly chopped walnuts or pecans for garnish, optional

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease an 8” square or round baking pan, preferably non-stick, glad, or ceramic.

Warm oil in a large skillet over high heat for 1 minute. Reduce heat to medium-low and add in the cubed butternut squash. Cover and cook until very soft and slightly browned, 20–30 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent burning.

While the squash cooks, whisk the milk, egg yolks, ginger, cinnamon sugar, salt, and vanilla together in a medium bowl.

Pour squash cubes into a food processor and pulse until smooth. Pour in the liquid mixture and pulse until combined.

Scrape the mixture into the prepared baking pan, spreading it evenly with a spatula. Place pan on middle oven rack and bake approximately 1 hour, until center is slightly firm and edges are pulling away from the pan. The pudding will remain very soft when fully cooked, but should not be liquidy.

Remove from heat and cool 30 minutes, then cover and refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight.

To serve, scoop into small bowls and top with optional walnuts or pecans.

Source: Too Good to Passover (Jennifer Felicia Abadi, 2018)