FOODY FRIDAY & KANELA (CINNAMON) MONTH- KOLOKETES – GREEK CYPRIOT PUMPKIN/SQUASH PIES

I thought I'd dedicate this months foody fridays to gg's favourite ingredient 'kanela' (cinnamon). gg absolutely loves kanela, be it in savoury or sweet dishes her favourite food always seems to have kanela in it. Cinnamon not only adds an aromatic flavour to food but also has alot of health benefits too, check out our 'Foody-friday Benefits of Tea Post' to read about them. So what recipe shall I give you first? hmmmm.....

Well as halloween is approaching and all the shops are bursting with pumpkins and squashes, it's got me craving some tradtional Greek Cypriot koloketes (that contain kanela (",)). Koloketes are pies with either a pumpkin or squash filling. Both can be used, because in Greek there is only one word for pumpkins, squashes and courgettes (zuccini) and that’s ‘kolokythi or kolokytha’.  I prefer to use butternut squash because it keeps it's shape when cooked as small cubes and doesn’t get all mushy as pumpkin tends to. You can try out any type of squash or pumpkin in the cucurbitaceae family and see which one works best for you.  Koloketes are like no other pastry, they are neither sweet nor savoury, but somewhere in between. The sweet taste of the squash, raisins, cinnamon and cloves counterbalance the savoury taste of the pourgouri (crushed coarse wheat), pastry and pepper giving a harmonius sweet peppery taste.
Now first and foremost before anything else, you have to cut your squash or pumpkin into cubes. Now I know for some this can be daunting as I have avoided making these delicious pies just because I couldn’t be bothered with the cutting of the squash. But after many attempts I have worked out a little method of preparing a butternut squash into cubes that makes it alot easier and can be used with any other recipe when it calls for a squash to be cut. To make it even easier, do as I do and get the man in your life to give you a hand (",).

gg How To Cut Butternut Squash Tip

You will need:

• sharp knife
• chopping board
• fork or spoon
• butternut squash

Method:

• wash squash throughly. This is too ensure there is no cross contamination, because if there is something yucky on the squash’s skin when your knife cuts into it, it will transfer the nasty yucky bits into the part you are going to eat

• place squash on chopping board and slice top and bottom off

• slice the neck of the squash, this is the skinnier part of the squash and also the flesh of the neck is slightly sweeter and a little bit smoother than the bulb of the squash (the larger part)

• stand neck on it’s end so the flat end flush on chopping board and slice off the skin

• slice the peeled neck into slices

• one by one, cut each slice into strips

• hold the cut strips in one hand and in other hand hold knife and cut strips into cubes

• take the bulb of squash and place the flat side on chopping board and slice skin off

• turn bulb upside down and do the same with the rest of the skin
• cut bulb in half

• grab a spoon or fork and dig out all the seeds and threads

• place cleared out body flat side down and cut into strips

• and then into cubes

• repeat with the other side

Extra gg tips:

• when buying squash the best way to tell if it is ripe is to push a finger nail into the rind and if your fingernail can push through it means the squash is immature and will be lacking sweetness and flavour
• the rind should be firm and unbroken with a uniform tan colour with no green bits
• the squash should feel heavy for its size, as this indicates a high moisture content

GREEK GHANA MIX KOLOKETES RECIPE

You will need:

For the filling:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 onion finely chopped
• 40g crushed vermicelli noodles
• 50g bulgar wheat
• 3.8kg pumpkin or squash, peeled, seeds removed and diced
• 250g sultanas
• 85g sugar
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon ground cloves
• 1 tablespoon ground black pepper ( I add 2 tablespoons just because my family and I like it peppery)
• salt to taste

For the pastry:

• 1.12kg plain flour
• tablespoon dried yeast
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 200ml vegatable oil
• 375ml warm water

Method for filling:

• start by making the filling first. This gives the filling more time to absorb all the aromatic flavours, you can make it up to a day
• heat oil and fry onions till soft

• add noodles and fry until golden brown

• stir in bulgar wheat followed by the pumpkin/squash and cook for 5-8 minutes

• switch off heat and add remaining ingredients

• taste to see if more cinnamon or pepper is needed
• leave filling to sit for at least a few hours to absorb flavour

Method for pastry:

• add flour and salt to a large bowl and make a well
• add yeast oil and a little bit of water
• mix until yeast has dissolved
• add rest of water
• knead for about 10 minutes

(Extra gg Tip-  You can tell when dough has been kneaded enough because when you first start kneading the dough it will stick to your hands and fingers but as you  carry on kneading the it will no longer stick to your fingers or hands and they should also be free of any pastry on them)

• cover with cling film and leave in a warm place to rise for 30 minutes

(Extra Extra gg Tip-  I heat up my oven whilst I’m preparing my pastry and turn it off  when my pastry is ready. I then place my pastry into the preheated oven to ensure my pastry has a warm temperature to rise in)

• divide pastry
• dust work surface lightly with flour
• roll out pastry

• use a pastry pie cutter/round cookie cutter/plate or anything round that will give you a circle

• add filling to the centre of the circle

• using a pie cutter/maker close the circle, if youn haven’t got one just use your fingers to fold it over

• if using a pie cutter/maker all you need to do is take the pie out and place it on a lined tray, if you don’t have one use a fork to secure the pie shut

• repeat till all pies are made

• bake at 200′c/gas 6 for 25 minutes or until golden brown 

KOLOKOTES


I hope you enjoy these as much as we do and if you do give them a go let me know how you got on. If you have your own version of this recipe I'd love for you to share it (",).