Pumpkin Scones
adapted from Nigella Lawson’s Nigella Kitchen
yield: 12-16 scones
3/4 cup leftover butternut squash gratin, or cooked winter squash of your choice. Canned pumpkin also works fine.
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese: real cheese, please, not the product in cardboard canisters. Some markets sell quality pre-ground parmesan; if yours doesn’t, grind the cheese yourself with a microplane or food processor.
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon table salt
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 scallion, minced (optional)
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour, plus a little more to dust over work surface
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
If you are using leftover butternut squash gratin, mash it with a fork or potato masher.
In a large bowl, mix the squash, cheese, egg, salt, olive oil, and scallion, if using, until blended.
In a second bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, and baking soda (I do this in a large measuring cup.). Fold the flour mixture into the squash mixture and work until it becomes a dough. I find this easiest to do with my hands, but a wooden spoon is also fine. Be patient: the dough will come together.
Lightly flour a work surface. Pat the dough out to about 1/2 inch thick.
Using a 2-inch cookie cutter or glass, cut 12-14 rounds. You may need to reshape the trimmings. That’s fine. This is a malleable dough.
Place the rounds on a baking sheet and bake 15 minutes. Best eaten the day they’re made or cooled and frozen, in which case they’ll reheat well.