Fall
Artusi’s Butternut Squash Pie (Torta di Zucca Gialla)
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37 Reviews
Kate
November 25, 2021
Love this recipe. I infused a Chai tea bag in some of the hot milk and then used that milk to cook the squash. Added a nice flavor.
Beckey
October 25, 2018
This is a great dessert for a fall gathering. Few ingredients means this comes together pretty easily without making a big mess of your kitchen. And well, I love pretty much anything with butternut squash or almonds. I actually like this more than pumpkin pie. This also looks very pretty with the confectioners sugar and almonds sprinkled on top (I also added a tiny bit of whipped cream...). I'm not gluten-free but it's a plus that I can share with friends who are. Oh, and I followed another suggested and made a chai tea with the squash milk... delicious!
Marhabanna
November 18, 2017
This looks delicious. I have a butternut squash on hand so will use that for my first try, but I was wondering if it is possible to substitute with sweet potatoes?
Emiko
November 19, 2017
I have yet to try it but I am a huge fan of sweet potatoes in general, I think it would be wonderful!
Taylor S.
November 12, 2015
Yum! It's like pumpkin pie filling but with squash instead, which I loved! Didn't have almonds so I put walnuts on the top.
Bec42
October 22, 2015
any thoughts on substitutions for the almond flour? I make desserts for Thanksgiving that have to be nut-free, gluten-free and non-dairy.... I can use fake milk & butter easily enough, but not sure what to replace the almond flour with. I'd probably use pumpkin seeds in place of the slivered almonds or leave those out altogether.
Emiko
October 23, 2015
Although I haven't tried it in this dish, what about rice flour? This is quite a moist, almost pudding-like dessert and I think it would go well -- it could perhaps be worth trying.
Bec42
October 26, 2015
ThAnks for the suggestion! If I get it together to try it I'll let you know how it works.
beejay45
February 23, 2016
Sweet rice flour might be good. If you've ever had Bibingka, that uses it, and it has an almost pudding-like texture. Might need to reduce the sugar just a bit -- sweet rice flour has some sweetness but not a lot.
Do your diners have problems with coconut, because you can get coconut meal, too. I have a couple friends with serious nut allergies, but they're okay with coconut.
Do your diners have problems with coconut, because you can get coconut meal, too. I have a couple friends with serious nut allergies, but they're okay with coconut.
Ham H.
October 21, 2015
Do you think I could substitute Sucanat for the brown sugar in the recipe? I know it's usually not a problem, but there are not a lot of spices in this recipe and I don't want it to have a burnt sugar flavor.
Emiko
October 22, 2015
The original recipe that this was adapted from simply called for white sugar but I personally love the sort of subtle caramel flavour of muscovado sugar in this so that's what I use. Sucanat (which I have never used) should be similar to muscovado so I'm assuming it would be just fine.
Carolina
December 24, 2014
A blendtec-pulverized roasted spaghetti squash is looking pretty auspicious with this. A pie may end up being the only way they get eaten around here.
Gosia
November 2, 2014
Thanks for the great recepie! To make this a bit easier I've roasted my pumpkin in an oven - 1,2 kg pumpkin cut into 3 pieces at 190 C for 45 minutes (skin on). I then scooped the pumpkin with a spoon (remembering to discard the skin!) and pureed it in a food processor. I also decided to go for the breadcrumbs. It worked very well and in the end the pie had perfect consistency.
Gita1
October 24, 2014
Can you tell me exact volume of the puree. I plan to use kobacha squash.. Thanks
Emiko
October 24, 2014
I'm sorry, although I've made this numerous times I've always measured by weight! I've found that different squash and pumpkin contain very different amounts of water so I would still find it useful to measure by weight rather than volume, especially after draining the squash.
ghainskom
October 23, 2014
Mine was a bit too moist, to the point where it was almost falling apart while cutting. Maybe I should have drained the pumpkin longer. Still very tasty.
Emiko
October 24, 2014
Hm, it shouldn't be falling apart. It does sound like it wasn't drained enough - as pumpkins contain quite a lot of water, it's an important step. Artusi actually instructs to drain the pumpkin until you have 1/3 of the original weight of the pumpkin!
durun99
October 29, 2014
Artusi's method of grating the squash and then squeezing it in a tea towel until it is reduced to about 300 grams (before cooking) is more finicky but might yield some more precision for people who are concerned about how much liquid to drain. Of course, Artusi doesn't say whether to include the milk after the grated and drained squash is cooked in the milk, so any extra precision may be lost at that point in the process. Also, Artusi calls for the addition of 30 grams of bread crumbs, which would make the recipe not gluten-free but would help with reducing the problem of excess moisture, which should be absorbed by the bread crumbs.
Emiko
October 29, 2014
Yes, I've described all of this in the original post that was written for this recipe over on the Regional Italian Food column - you can read more about it here! https://food52.com/blog/11435-artusi-s-butternut-squash-pie
nance
October 21, 2014
I had a 3 pound butternut squash and meant to use just 2/3 of it (to follow the recipe), but I forgot and ended up using the whole thing! I was worried after I put it in the oven, but it was still delicious. Wonder if the texture would have been different if I had used the amount called for in the recipe. What's the volume of squash puree you get from a 2-pound butternut squash?
Emiko
October 24, 2014
It probably would have been a bit different! But glad it was still delicious. I haven't measured the volume before, I always measure by weight - it's more accurate and easier. But seeing as many people ask about the volume I may have to do that next time!
kitkat
October 27, 2014
It really was delicious (especially for breakfast... and snack time... and dessert...)! I usually bake by weight too, so the weight of the cooked puree would work as well if you happen to have that piece of information!
kitkat
October 27, 2014
(This is nance, by the way. Looks like the roommate forgot to log out of her account! Will do that for her now.)
Ritacooks/bakes
October 20, 2014
What happens to the milk?
Emiko
October 24, 2014
After cooking the squash and draining, you can discard the milk. But if you like, you can be thrifty and save the milk for another treat: Infuse it with chai tea and honey for a pumpkin-spiced chai latte, or let it cool and turn it into a banana and cinnamon smoothie, for a couple of ideas!
Elisa
October 17, 2014
just a word of warning, being the same color as cinnamon doesn't make cayenne pepper a good substitute. Gotta stop nagging the kids while cooking...
Elisa
October 18, 2014
It's actually kind of interesting if you top with enough whipped cream. Kind of like the spicy hot chocolate idea. Of course I'm the only one in the house who thinks this.
Beckey
October 25, 2018
I've done this more than once while making my morning oatmeal! (before I've had enough coffee)
Melissa M.
October 15, 2014
This sounds amazing. How long will it last? Can I make it a few days before serving? Thanks!
Emiko
October 16, 2014
To be honest, every time I've made this we've even it so fast I haven't been able to tell how long it lasts past a day! But I will say it's a very moist pie so should be refrigerated and wrapped well in plastic wrap. A couple of days I'm sure will be fine if kept this way, though the almond slices might lose their crunch. If using the powdered sugar, put this on only just before serving as it melts pretty quickly.
Lemoni
October 10, 2014
For those of us who are lazy and buy our butternut squash puree in a can, can you estimate how many cups of puree we'll need for this pie?
Emiko
October 15, 2014
I wouldn't recommend using premade/canned puree here -- this is such a simple recipe where the squash really sings out so you'll want to use fresh. It's so simple to use fresh and cook it yourself though, sometimes you can even find already chopped squash which cuts out that one step too! Whatever it takes, but it'll be a much tastier pie if you use fresh. Trust me! ;)
AntoniaJames
October 8, 2014
I'm seriously considering skipping altogether our usual pumpkin pie, come Thanksgiving, and serving this instead! Molto elegante! ;o)
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