Chef Jef Wright's Homemade Squash Purée Recipe
There are many different methods for using the abundance of Maine-grown squash available to us this season. We're thinking soups, sauces, toppings for meat dishes, and much more. Chef Jef Wright of Sur Lie who also happens to be co-owner, with his wife Melissa, of Pinetree Garden Seeds in New Gloucester, Maine, shared with us a simple and delectable recipe for a squash purée you'll be eating straight out of the bowl.
When selecting a squash or pumpkin (pumpkins are a type of squash) to make your purée from, keep in mind that not all squash are created equal. Small and medium-sized squash or cooking pumpkins are the perfect choice for a sweet or savory purée. Large Jack-O-Lantern pumpkins, however, are NOT ideal for creating purée—they have a bland, watery, fibrous pulp. This recipe is so easy to make. We hope you’ll search out some Maine-grown squash at your local independent grocer or farm stand and make some for yourself at home. Be sure to read att the way through to the end for Chef Wright’s tip for stretching this from a purée to a soup and our wine pairing recommendations.
Want more squash know-how and dishes? Join us for two Maine squash virtual wine dinners on Sunday, November 8, and Saturday, November 14.
For this recipe, you'll need:
Large and sharp knife suitable for cutting through the thick walls of your squash
Sheet pan for baking
Preheat your oven to 375°
Ingredients: how much of each will depend on how big your squash is but a small container of each will be plenty
Your squash of choice (we found this handy list of Southern Maine Farm Stands and Markets so you can be sure to buy Maine-grown squash)
Olive oil
Butter
2-3 whole fresh garlic
Fresh thyme
Cream
Salt & pepper
Cut, clean, and season the squash for baking:
Cut your pumpkin or squash in half, down the middle from stem to bottom.
Scoop out the insides, including the seeds and fibrous pulpx
Rub the cut sided of both halves lightly with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper
Take 2-3 cloves of garlic and peel off the outermost layers of skin before smashing the cloves with the flat side of your large knife. This helps to release the flavors. Place the smashed cloves inside the squash halves and top with generous amounts of the fresh thyme.
Bake:
Place a flat pan against the cut side of the squash before flipping the entire thing over, leaving the squash/pumpkin face down on the pan with its contents underneath it.
Place in your 375° pre-heated oven for 35-40 minutes, depending on size. Checking periodically for softness. You can add a small amount of water to the pan in order to create some steam.
When you can press into the squash easily with a light touch, it's ready to come out of the oven.
Add contents to a blender:
Loosen the squash from the pan by gently working a knife or small spatula underneath the edges and flip the squash over—the insides should be completely soft and moist.
Scoop the thyme and garlic cloves out of the squash and place 1/4 of the thyme leaves, the whole cloves of garlic, and some of the liquid from inside the squash into a blender.
Use a large spoon to scrape the softened flesh of the squash into the blender.
Add a small pad of butter 1-1.5 tablespoons to the blender.
Blend and stir periodically to allow all of the contents to be well blended:
Add a small amount of cream and salt (to taste) and blend until it reaches a smooth, creamy consistency.
The finished product is a creamy, flavorful purée to eat on its own or as a topping for a meat dish. Want to take it a step further? Make your purée into a soup by adding some chicken or vegetable stock.
Note: This recipe is mainly for use directly after, though if you'd like to freeze it, simply omit the butter and cream and pack into freezer containers with a small amount of space left at the top for expansion. To use, defrost, and blend together with the butter and small amount of cream or vegetable/chicken stock, and it will be ready to use once more.
Wines: The wines included in the 6-bottle Thanksgiving Wine Selection (featuring great wines from small-independent Maine-based wine distributors) are a perfect match for this dish and offer a lot of versatility for matching traditional accompaniments. Enjoyed on its own we’d lean towards the set’s rich and complex 2017 Mullineux, White Blend, Old Vines, from Swartland, South Africa or, if you do take Chef Wright’s advice and use it for a topping for a meat dish we’d recommend the set’s gorgeous 2018 Illahe Vineyards Pinot Noir "Bon Sauvage", Willamette Valley with pork or poultry, or the 2016 Le Masse di Lamole, Chianti Classico with beef.