Baked Squash and Parmesan Cheese Pudding (Tortino Di Zucca)

I love winter squash & pumpkin and am always open to new recipes using them, especially savory dishes. It always surprises me that such a tasty vegetable is so good for me! Found this bit of deliciousness in The Washington Post who attributed the source as "Marcella Says . . . Italian Cooking Wisdom From the Legendary Teacher's Master Classes, With 120 of Her Irresistible New Recipes" (HarperCollins, 2004). The article suggests that this tortino can be served while it is still warm, or several hours later at room temperature. It is wonderful to have a dish like this that can be made ahead. Serve as a side on a full dinner or as a lovely light lunch with sauteed greens or a winter salad with bitter greens, shredded beets & pear. Think I will have to prowl this one on Amazon.

• Ready In: 1 hr 35 mins
• Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 1  butternut squash, about 1 pound (or slightly more)
• 1⁄2 cup parmigiano-reggiano cheese, freshly grated
• 1  egg
• 1  teaspoon sea salt, fine
•  black pepper, freshly ground to taste
• 3  tablespoons butter, at room temperature (plus additional for greasing the ramekins)
• 1⁄4 teaspoon nutmeg, freshly grated
• 2  tablespoons  breadcrumbs, fine, dry, unflavored

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Have ready 4 five-ounce ramekins.
2. Put the squash in a baking dish and, when the oven reaches the preset temperature, put it in the oven. After 1 hour remove it from the oven, but do not turn off the oven. Split the squash half lengthwise, and use a spoon to scoop away and discard the seeds and strings. Scoop out the pulp. There should be about 1 cup.
3. Put the pulp, grated cheese, egg, salt, black pepper, 2 tablespoons of the softened butter, and the nutmeg in the large bowl of a food processor. Run the blade just long enough to produce a homogenous but not overly creamy mixture.
4. Thickly grease the insides of the ramekins with butter and sprinkle about half of the bread crumbs over the butter.
5. Divide the squash mixture equally among the ramekins. Sprinkle the remaining bread crumbs on top, then dot with the remaining tablespoon of butter, cut into 4 pieces.
6. Bake in the still-hot oven for 20 minutes. Let the ramekins rest for 6 minutes after you remove them from the oven. Turn each ramekin over onto a separate plate and give it a little shake to loosen the pudding, letting it drop onto the plate.