"That Butternut Be Bone Marrow" Onion Dip

Préparation

As a lifelong vegetarian, Mamrie Hart has steered clear of bone marrow. As she puts it, eating bone marrow as a vegetarian would be “like breaking your sobriety with Bacardi 151.” But butternut squash transformed into its likeness? That’s a different story. Her take on the classic appetizer starts with the neck of a butternut squash, roasted until tender and scooped to resemble a halved bone. The hollowed-out center is filled with a rich, caramelized onion dip that’s eminently dippable. Mamrie serves her “marrow” with toasted bread and a bright herb salad. “It’s sweet, smoky, and addictive.” Couldn’t have said it better.

*This recipe originally ran in the US on HexClad.com.

1. Preheat oven to 375°F/190°C.
2. Make onions. Heat a HexClad 4.5QT/4.3 L Hybrid Deep Sauté Pan or HexClad 5 QT/4.7 L Hybrid Dutch Oven over medium low; add butter. Once melted, add onions and 1 tsp salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until dark brown, deeply caramelized, and soft, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Remove from heat.
3. Make squash. While onions cook, cut off stem of squash, then cut neck off from base; reserve bases for another use. Slice neck in half lengthwise.
4. Rub squash all over with oil and season with 1½ tsp salt and ¼ tsp pepper. Place cut side down in a
5. HexClad Small Hybrid Roasting Pan with Rack. Roast until golden brown and you can easily insert a knife into the thickest part, 40 to 45 minutes. Leave oven on.
6. Use a melon baller or a spoon to scoop a channel vertically in squash that’s about 1½ inches/4 cm wide by 1 inch/3 cm deep. Discard scooped squash or reserve for another use.
7. Make dip. Add garlic to a food processor. Pulse until roughly chopped. Add half the onions, sour cream, cream cheese, Worcestershire, and celery salt. Process until smooth, then transfer to a bowl. Fold in chives.
8. Divide dip between squash, spreading so it’s flush with sides; reserve any remaining dip for another use. Roughly chop remaining onions 3 to 4 times so until broken up slightly. Spread on top of dip. Return stuffed squash to oven until dip is warmed, about 5 minutes.
9. Sprinkle with chives and serve with toasted bread.

NOTE: Look for butternut squash with long, thin necks and smaller bulbs. Save bulbs to roast separately.