| The Slow Mediterranean Kitchen | John Wiley & Sons, 2003 | Serves 4
Here’s a striking, easy-to-make Turkish recipe called kabak tatlisi. The cooking method is fascinating: you macerate chunks of pumpkin or winter squash in sugar until they weep, then cook the cubes at a low temperature. As they gently cool, the squash chunks swell with the syrupy juices. This goes beautifully with walnuts and a cultured cream such as crème fraîche.
I suggest you use a tasty orange winter squash, such as butternut or Hubbard, that’s dense enough to hold its shape through the unique cooking process. Either variety will produce a sweet with an intense flavor and creamy texture.—Paula Wolfert
LC Smashing Pumpkins Note: Whether pumpkin or butternut, those oddly shaped squashes can be tricky to peel. We suggest you stick with a butternut squash, which is eminently easier to peel than a pumpkin of any sort. First take a sharp chef’s knife and halve it along it’s length. Scoop out those stringy seeds with a spoon, then place the squash, cut-side down, on a cutting board or other work surface and run a vegetable peeler along it’s length. Tada! All fingers accounted for and intact.
Active time: 15 minutes | Total time: 2 hours 15 minutes.
Sweet Pumpkin with Walnuts Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 1/3 pounds pumpkin or winter squash, such as butternut
- 1 cup superfine sugar (or you can make your own by blitzing granulated sugar in a blender until fine but not powdery)
- 1/3 cup walnuts, halves or pieces (preferably freshly shelled)
- 1 teaspoon unsalted butter
- 1 cup cultured cream, such as crème fraîche, if desired
Directions
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1. Peel and trim the squash. You should have about 1 pound. Cut the squash into 1-inch chunks.
2. Toss the squash with the sugar in a shallow ceramic baking dish and let stand until the squash weeps and the sugar dissolves, at least 30 minutes.
3. Preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C).
4. Use a wooden spoon to toss the squash and sugar. Cover with a crumpled sheet of damp parchment paper and bake for 1 1/2 hours, until the juices bubble and the squash is tender throughout. Turn off the oven but do not remove the dish. Instead let the squash cool inside the warm environment so it can continue to reabsorb the syrupy juices. Store in a cool place or in the refrigerator. Let the squash return to room temperature before serving.
5. Just before serving, melt the butter in a skillet over medium-low heat. Add the walnuts and cook, tossing frequently, until they’re glistening. Spoon the squash and a few teaspoons of the syrup into individual serving bowls and sprinkle with the toasted walnuts. Garnish with dollops of cultured cream, if desired.
- Pumpkin Dinner Rolls from Alexandra Cooks
- Pumpkin Custard from Food Renegade
- Pumpkin Soup with Curried Pumpkin Seeds from Leite’s Culinaria
- Pumpkin and Sage Pasta Hats from Leite’s Culinaria
Sweet pumpkin with walnuts recipe © 2003 Paula Wolfert. Photo © 2003 Christopher Hirsheimer. All rights reserved.
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