Butternut Squash Strudel / Balkabaklı Börek

Sunrise startersPasta pastry poachaLegendary Turkish brunchAfternoon tea party

Jul 19

Geography of an old recipe

Romancing a sweet filling with a savoury crust!
My grandmother used to cook this special sweet pastry to treat us when I was very young. Its crunchy, savoury outer texture and honey-like soft filling makes it very special.
This sweet pastry has more than 1000 years of history in Turkish Cuisine. It is still cooked by the people who spread over a wide geography of Eurasia from Hungary to Kazakhstan.
I still miss this aroma from time to time and it is still one of my favourites for Tea Parties and gatherings. Original recipe calls for a white-skinned Anatolian Pumpkin. I used Butternut Squash and sweet potatoes instead, as I find their taste and texture to be quite similar.
Treat your palate with this surprising taste!

BUTTERNUT SQUASH STRUDEL / BALKABAKLI BÖREK

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Ingredients

For the Filling:

2 butternut squash (or ½ Anatolian, white-skinned pumpkin/balkabağı)
1.5 cups sugar 1 sweet potato (optional)
½ cup raisins (optional)

For the pastry:

2 packs of medium-thick phyllo
1 cup grapeseed oil (or any fine vegetable oil)
1 cup vegetable extract

For decoration (optional):

2 tbsp icing sugar
1 tbsp cinnamon powder

Notes from the Kitchen

Once everything else is ready… only then, remove the phyllo pastry from its packaging. Soft phyllo pastry may quickly dry out and become brittle when expose to air.
Try to roll the phyllos quickly after moistening them, as they may stick to the lower layers and tear. You may separate 2 of phyllos for rolling to make sure keep the lower layers dry if you prefer.

Directions

PREPARATION:
FILLING
Wash the butternut squash, cut into large pieces, discard the seeds, peel the skins and set aside.
Wash the sweet potato, divide into 4 pieces, peel the skin, and set aside.
Grate the butternut squash and sweet potato pieces and combine with 1.5 cups of sugar.
Lightly rub the grated vegetables with sugar and leave to rest for 30-40 minutes. Vegetables will release their excess juice. Drain the extra juice to be able to control the consistency of the filling.
Save 1 cup of this extract for later to moisten the pastry.
(You may use the rest of the extract for your squash soup).
Pour 1 cup of grape seed oil (or any fine vegetable oil) into a separate bowl.
Set aside everything for the filling.

FORMING THE PASTRY
First coat over two layers of phyllo with 2 tbsp of oil then with 2 tbsp of vegetable extract.
Place 3-4 tbsp of filling along the long edge of the phyllo. Then, rolling 2 layers of phyllo, form the pastry as a long smooth cylinder and place it in an oven tray.
Repeat the process, until all the Phyllis are rolled out.
Use the remaining oil and extract as a final coat to polish the rolls. Now they are ready for baking.

BAKING
Pre-heat the oven to 380 F (180 C), bake the pastry for 40-45 minutes, until its crust turns golden brown.
Take the pastry out of the oven.
Before serving, let the pastry cool down for 10-15 minutes.
Meanwhile, mix 1 tbsp of cinnamon powder and 2 tbsp of icing sugar for dusting over the crust to enhance the taste.

SERVING
This sweet pastry has a long history in Turkish Cuisine. It is served as a breakfast treat, a light lunch, or a crowd-pleasing dessert for gatherings for centuries.
Recently, it is a favourite treat for Legendary Turkish Brunch and Afternoon Tea Party.
Treat your palate with this surprising taste!
Beware, it is addictive! Enjoy the changing seasons!

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