Turkish-Style Pumpkin Hummus

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...The young women of Turkey, especially those whose fate has placed them in larger towns and cities, are lovely and lead lives quite similar to yours or mine. Yet, a trip to villages just outside these cities illustrates the vagaries of fate and tells a story of a completely different kind. Turkey is justly famous for its food and the abundance of its table. The land supports the growth of fruits and vegetables and grains, and a trip to a Turkish market presents a veritable rainbow of color and a range of choice that's guaranteed to please anyone who likes to cook. I'd love to tell you that that abundance is the result of shared labor, but to do so would be a lie. Women man the farms and while they are in the fields their husbands and fathers are otherwise engaged. The work is backbreaking and the faces of these women are lined and cracked liked ill-fired terra cotta bricks. They age quickly and even their veils can't hide the ravages of the sun and the heavy work they do. The nature of our trip placed us on Turkish highways for long periods of time. We would occasionally stop to stretch and take a look at what was going on around us. One of the stops we made was at a roadside stand where melons and squash were being sold. We were offered samples of local melons and the Silver Fox, who is powerless in the hands of small children, was approached by a little guy carrying a melon that was the size of his head. I want you to know that melon made it with us from the outskirts of Ankara to Istanbul before it was finally eaten. It was delicious, if slightly overripe.That same market also sold pumpkin which I learned had a prominent place in the Turkish diet. With pumpkin readily available in our own markets at this time of year, I thought you might enjoy this quick and easy version of hummus that is made with it instead of chickpeas. This is wonderful when made with fresh pumpkin but the canned variety is an acceptable substitute. I like to make this dip the day before I plan to serve it. Here's the recipe.

Pumpkin Hummus...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy ofSaad Fayed

Ingredients:
1 15-ounce canned pumpkin
2 tablespoons tahini
1 garlic clove, chopped
2 tablespoon fresh parsley, finely chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon sweet smoked paprika
Pinch of cayenne pepper
2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Directions:
Combine all ingredients in bowl of a food processor and pulse until mixture is smooth and creamy. Spoon into a serving bowl and garnish as desired. Serve with toasted pita bread or chips.

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