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Pumpkin Slices in Syrup

This Kurdish preserve makes a ready sweet to serve with chopped walnuts or clotted cream.

Ingredients

2 pounds orange pumpkin (weight free of skin, fibers, and seeds)
4 cups sugar
2 cups water
A squeeze of lemon juice

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Cut the peel off the pumpkin and remove seeds and fibers, then cut the flesh into slices about 1/2 inch thick and 2 1/2 inches long.

    Step 2

    Bring the sugar and water with the lemon juice to a boil in a large pan. Drop the pumpkin pieces in and cook for 15–20 minutes, or until tender.

    Step 3

    Lift out the pieces with a slotted spoon and drop them into glass jars. Reduce the syrup until it is thick enough to coat a spoon, and pour over the pumpkin pieces. Let it cool before closing the jars tightly.

Cover of Claudia Roden's The New Book of Middle Easter Food, featuring a blue filigree bowl filled with Meyer lemons and sprigs of mint.
Reprinted with permission from The New Book of Middle Eastern Food, copyright © 2000 by Claudia Roden, published by Knopf. Buy the full book on Amazon or Bookshop.
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