candied pumpkin

kabak tatlisi

A turkish treat

vegetables for dessert? absolutely!

Candied Pumpkin with Crushed Walnuts

kabak tatlisi

with a twist…

 

It’s pumpkin season! Pumpkin pie, pumpkin bread, pumpkin lattes…autumn comes and we can’t seem to get enough of this humble gourd and its associated flavors of cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg.

This chewy, sweet, candied pumpkin from Turkey is a perfect addition to your list of pumpkin favorites. It makes for a satisfying snack or a light dessert. Serve it alongside a scoop of vanilla ice cream drizzled with caramel sauce for a somewhat decadent and elegant dessert.

Use sugar pumpkins or Cinderella pumpkins, or butternut squash to make this treat.

Prepare the pumpkin by cutting it open, scraping out all the seeds, cutting it into chunks, and removing the shell. You can also buy it pre-cut to save time and effort.

Ingredients:

  • About 1 ½ — 2 lbs fresh prepared pumpkin chunks, about 2” long

  • 1 ½ cups superfine sugar

  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon

  • ¼ teaspoon nutmeg, preferably freshly grated

  • a dash of allspice

  • a pinch of cloves

  • ½  cup coarsely chopped walnuts

  • 1 tablespoon sweet butter

 

Method:

  • In a small bowl, combine the sugar with the spices.

  • Line a baking dish with parchment and lay out the pumpkin pieces in a single layer.

  • Sprinkle evenly with the spiced sugar.

  • Cover the dish and refrigerate overnight.

The next day—

  • Preheat oven to 350°.

  • Take the dish with the pumpkin out of the fridge. You’ll see that the sugar has dissolved into a syrup-y juice.

  • Slide the dish into the oven.

  • Bake for about an hour to 1 hour, fifteen minutes in total. While it’s baking, every 20 minutes spoon the juices that have accumulated in the bottom of the dish back over the pumpkin.

  • After 45 minutes, taste the pumpkin. If you’d like it to be sweeter, sprinkle on a little more sugar.

  • Continue baking until all the syrup has been absorbed and the pumpkin pieces are candied and glistening.

  • In a skillet, melt the butter and add the chopped walnuts. Cook for a minute or two over medium heat to toast the nuts, then remove them from the pan and set them aside.