Exploring new ways to take advantage of the pumpkin season, we have come up with a very simple recipe whose origin takes us to the Jewish cuisine of Libya, a kind of pate or spreadable cream by name tershi or chershi with garlic and other seasonings as protagonists. It can be prepared with other vegetables, but the pumpkin, with its honeyed texture and delicate flavor, it is perfect.
It is an ancient recipe born from the Jewish communities of Tripoli usually served as dip with appetizers to spread with bread, usually flat like pita, or as a topping for couscous and other dishes. Nowadays it is extended in different versions by the cuisine of North and Middle East Africa, and it is common in the selections of mezze with other pecks.
The idea is that it is a cream of intense flavor with garlic Well present, but you can lower its power if it does not suit you very well or you prefer something softer. It would be delicious with confit or roasted garlic cloves, if you have time to prepare them or have them frozen or canned.
Peel and cut the pumpkin into cubes without the seeds until obtaining between 500 and 600 g. Pass the garlic cloves through a press or grate them fine; remove the germ if you prefer softer or use candied garlic.
Heat the olive oil slightly in a wide saucepan and add the vegetables. Stir a few times, add the garlic, stir, cover and cook for about 10 minutes until start to be tender, that can be pierced with a fork.
Add a little salt, paprika, ground cumin, lemon juice and harissa (use less or omit if you don’t like spicy) and continue cooking over medium-low heat, pounding the pumpkin little by little, until a creamy texture is obtained.
Test and adjust the amount of salt, lemon, oil or spices, or add a little vinegar. Serve warm or cold with the optional caraway seeds.
With what to accompany the pumpkin tershi
One of the more traditional ways to serve this creamy garlic pumpkin paté is by spreading it on pita bread, but we can use any other bread that we like or use crispy toasts. Like hummus, it is also perfect to serve with veggie crudités. To complete the appetizer, we can add labneh or muhammara with peppers and, for example, homemade falafel to the table.
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