1 3/4- pound wedge of baking pumpkin or winter squash
2 tablespoons olive oil for cooking, plus more for the pan
3/4 cup fine-grind stone-ground cornmeal, plus more for sprinkling
3/4 cup all-purpose flour, sifted
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons fine sea salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup walnut halves, toasted
3 large organic eggs
1 cup chopped fresh chervil or flat-leaf parsley leaves
Peel and seed the pumpkin and then cut it into 1/2-inch chunks. Set up a steamer. Steam the pumpkin, tightly covered, until sloft, 8 to 12 minutes depending on the pumpkin. Put through a ricer or food mill.
Transfer to a fine-mesh sieve and set over a bowl to cool and drain for 1 hour, stirring gently from time to time to encourage the juices to drain; pumpkins tend to release a fair amount of liquid, but if you’ve used another type of squash, there may not be much to drain at all. This should yield about 2 cups drained pumpkin flesh.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan with oil, line the bottom with parchment paper, and sprinkle the sides with cornmeal until entirely coated.
In a medium bowl, combine the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, salt, pepper, and walnuts.
In a large bowl, beat together the cooked pumpkin, eggs, 2 tablespoons oil, and the chervil or parsley. Fold in the flour mixture with a spatula just until no trace of flour remains; avoid over mixing, or the texture of the loaf will be heavier.
Pour into the prepared pan and level out the surface. Bake until the top is crusty and golden and a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes.
Transfer to a rack. Let cool for 20 minutes before turning out, and serve slightly warm or at room temperature.