Tikvenik

From autumn into winter, Bulgarians make a great dessert from “tikva”, which their word for pumpkin. If you want to make this simple dish the authentic way, my Bulgarian friend Simona says you must use fresh pumpkin.

Ingredients:


1 3-lb. pie pumpkin, raw

2/3 cup Wholesome Sweeteners Organic Sucanat

1 tbsp. cinnamon

1 ½ cups walnuts, coarsely chopped

1 lb. phyllo dough

1-2 sticks butter, softened or melted


Method:

Pare off the pumpkin shell and grate the interior. Add Sucanat, cinnamon, and walnuts;
mix well. Unfold phyllo and prepare a place to work.

Take two sheets and dot with softened butter or brush with melted butter. At the end closes to you, spread about ½ cup of pumpkin mixture across the width of the sheet. Roll into a cylinder and then place the first roll in the center of a greased cookie sheet and coil to make a spiral. Repeat the above process, adding each roll to the spiral until all of the pumpkin mixture is used. Dot or brush their tops with butter.

Bake in an oven preheated to 425 degrees until slightly brown, then reduce heat to 350 degrees continue baking for about 40 minutes.

*If the pumpkin is too watery, place in a pan and quickly boil off the excess water. You must do this or the filling will make the phyllo soggy. Another way to prepare this dish is to create layers of buttered phyllo alternating with the pumpkin filling.