Thursday, December 06, 2007

Butternut squash and walnuts fillo rolls


During Christmas we traditionally bake salt or sweet filo pastries, similar to baklava or strudel, with nuts or with nuts and fruit.
My apologies to everyone, who likes the traditional English Christmas pudding or the mince pies, but this brownish paste with strange multicolor things inside look to me like a bunch of plastic office supplies cut into glue. Unfortunately the taste is also similar. You just stare into this thing and you can't imagine it's edible ...
Maybe it's so because I've only tried factory-made goods of these, I truly hope that the home-made ones are completely different.
However, I suppose this Christmas I'll opt for something familiar, like this butternut squash and walnuts sweet fillo pastry. I should put sultanas inside next time.



To make it you need: 1/2 pack of fillo pastry
about 400 gr peeled butternut squash - grated
1 cup of sugar
200 gr walnuts - slightly backed and chopped
vegetable oil or butter
cinnamon and nutmeg
(maybe I'll put sultanas next time)

for the syrup
150 ml water
150 gr sugar
vanilla

How to make it:
The mixture:
In a saucepan put enough oil or butter, but not too much because it will become too oily. Heat the oil and add the grated butternut squash and the sugar Cook on medium heat stirring occasionally. When it is half cooked, add the walnuts and cinnamon and nutmeg and leave on medium heat, stirring. Remove from heat and leave aside to cool.

Brush slightly a fillo sheet with oil or melted butter and put another sheet on top. Brush the second sheet with oil or butter and spoon enough of the mixture over the fillo part which is closed to you. Start rolling the two sheets with the filling tightly. Proceed the same way with the rest of the fillo sheets until the filling is over.
Brush the rolls with oil and put on a tin lined with baking paper. With a sharp knife cut the fillo rolls to make smaller rolls.

Bake on 170-180 degrees until golden.

Bring the water and sugar for the syrup to the boil, set aside to cool. Add vanilla. Spoon the syrup evenly over the fillo rolls. Bake for another 5-6 minutes and leave to cool.

You may sprinkle with powdered sugar, but I personally don't prefer so much sugar, so I missed this part :)

7 comments:

MPG said...

I love this combination, but in the fillo - yum! I still need to master the use of fillo, you do it so well! Looking great!!

Sneige said...

It's really, really easy :)
Use a brush and vegetable oil or melted butter to brush between each sheet, that's all :)

The difficult part is to make the fillo itself, but of course I don't dare trying :D
Yet.

Stef said...

These would be dangerous around me. Looks like something I could just keep popping into my mouth. mmmm

Sylvia said...

I love philo, and butternut squash. This is a amazing combination. BTW your photos are so cute

Sneige said...

Yes, Stef, you're right, they could be dangerous :)

Gracias, Sylvia! :)

Alpa said...

This looks so good, i never would have thought to use butternut squash! The pictures are awesome BTW!

Sneige said...

Thanks Alpa :)
In fact this dessert is similar to strudel, but instead of apples and whatever the dough for strudel is, you use butternut squash and filo :)

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