The most common use of this fruit in the Turkish cuisine, which has a solid place in our memories as the carriage Cinderella rode in, is the famous pumpkin dessert.
Pumpkin has potassium, phosphor, calcium, magnesium, sodium, and iron, and it is used in the world kitchens in various ways. Halvah in the Middle East and India, as side dish mixed with other vegetables in Australia and New Zealand, smaller ones as tempura in Japan, soup in Vietnam, mixed with cheese as ravioli fillings in Italy, and many other sweet or salty varieties. It is a symbol of Halloween in the US, and it is a must for thanksgiving tables as a tart.
I love mücver, but because the generally accepted way of cooking by frying is too greasy to my taste I prefer to use the oven. I just wanted to share this recipe which is the end result of my R&D, just when we are in pumpkin season.
ingredients
- 500 grams pumpkin, peel and chop
- 1 cup water
- 1 tsp pomegranate molasses
- stems of 1/2 a bunch of parsley
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1/2 tsp black peppercorns
- 1 slice ginger
- 2 leek or 1 bunch scallion, slice
- 1 1/2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp flour
- 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp white pepper
- 1/4 tsp allspice
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg, grate
- 1/4 tsp cumin
- 2 eggs
- 60 grams feta cheese, crumble
- 60 grams kashari cheese, grate
- 1 tsp thyme
preparation
- Add pumpkin, water, molasses and parsley stems, garlic, peppercorns & ginger in a cheesecloth pouch to a pot. Cover, cook til soft, discard the pouch. Mush pumpkin with a fork.
- Heat olive oil on medium heat, add leek, cook until softish. Stir in pumpkin.
- Sift both flours, baking powder, pepper, allspice, nutmeg and cumin. Sprinkle on the pumpkin mix.
- Blend in egg, cheeses and thyme in that order. Pour into an oiled baking dish.
- Bake in a preheated 355°F (180°C) oven about 30 min. Enjoy warm or room temp.
- 1 çbk = 1 çorba kaşığı = 1 table spoon = 15 ml
- 1 tsp = 1 tatlı kaşığı = 1 tea spoon = 5 ml
- 1 cup ~ 1 su bardağı = 1 cup = 240 ml
- measurements
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