Winter Squash Pudding

I had this unusual savory pudding at the delightful Ristorantino di Colomba in Ferrara one chilly February evening, served as a side dish to the hearty sausage called salama. Ferrara has had a Jewish community since 1275, when the prominent Este family offered a safe haven for Jews within the city walls; the community grew in the 16th century as a haven for those fleeing the Spanish Inquisition. Sweet winter squash is a favorite vegetable in the area's Jewish cuisine, and this pudding is a Ferrara specialty, often served (without the sausage) at Yom Kippur. Adapted from "The Country Cooking of Italy" by Colman Andrews (Fall 2011).