Food Editor's Notes:  This sounded like a great recipe for Thanksgiving and something nice to add to the usual cranberry and pumpkin breads.  Lynne's recipe, as you will see, is dairy, but I made this using a stick of pareve margarine instead of the butter and shortening, and water instead of the milk (you could certainly use non-dairy creamer).  The biscuits came out great, although they were a bit spicier than I am used to in my bread products, so I would reduce the black pepper by half the next time I make them.  The dairy version should be even tastier, with a slightly different flavor and crumble and the ability to serve with real butter!  The taste-testers for this recipe – my two picky-eater sons - liked these biscuits a lot.

Ingredients

1 3/4 cups roasted and mashed butternut squash
(F.E. note: I used a packaged container of peeled and cut-up squash pieces and roasted them on a greased baking sheet in a 350-degree oven for about 40 minutes, until soft]
2 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 tablespoon fresh sage, chopped
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
2 tablespoons milk (or water or non-dairy creamer)
4 tablespoons butter, cold and cut into pieces
4 tablespoons shortening, cold and cut into pieces
[F.E. note: I used 8 tablespoons – one stick – of cold pareve margarine instead of the butter and shortening]

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Mix together all the dry ingredients – the flour, sugar, baking powder, sage, salt, pepper, and nutmeg.  Add butter and shortening (or margarine) and work until it starts to form small chunks of dough.  [Food Editor's note: I started with a fork and then switched to my fingers.]  Add squash and milk (or pareve liquid) and mix thoroughly.

Place dough on a well-floured surface and knead for about 20 seconds.  If the dough seems too sticky, add a little extra flour.  Pat down until it is about 1-inch thick.  Cut with a biscuit cutter and place on an ungreased sheet pan.  [F.E. note: I used the open end of a glass!  After cutting the first group of biscuits, you will need to ball up the dough and pat out again in order to use it all up.]

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown.  Serve hot.

Makes about 12 biscuits

Wilson Farm in Lexington is a family-owned and operated farm and farm stand that is dedicated to providing the highest quality products and service.  Wilson Farm is a new advertiser on ShalomBoston.com and has contributed several recipes that we are pleased to make available on our web site.  Special thanks to Lynne, who has more recipes available on the Wilson Farm web site and in The Wilson Farm Country Cookbook.