We learned how to make this extraordinary dessert when we were on holiday in Istanbul. The first night we went out, I ordered this, thinking it looked really unusual, and then the next day, it was one of the dishes we prepared at our Cookistan cookery class. Our teacher explained that this was a dish invented at the end of the Ottoman empire, for the palace.
INGREDIENTS:
- 500g peeled pumpkin cut into large cubes, about 2 inches across.
- 450g granulated sugar,
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 3 cloves
- 100g tahini (about 7 tbsp)
- chopped walnuts.
METHOD:
- Place the pumpkin cubes into a large saucepan and cover with the sugar, and leave overnight.
- Add a little water if required, so that the liquid in the pan reaches about half way up the pumpkin. Add the cloves and vanilla.
- Put the lid on the pan and cook for 30 to 35 minutes, until the pumpkin is soft and absorbs all the water it initially released. Check regularly to ensure that the syrup doesn’t stick. Baste the pumpkin in the syrup.
- Let it come to room temperature. This dish can be kept in the refrigerator.
- Garnish with tahini and chopped walnuts to serve.