Pumpkin is usually treated as a sweet ingredient in Turkish cooking, but roasting concentrates its sugars, and tahini makes it work in a savory dish too. For this meze, the pumpkin is roasted rather than boiled: boiling would water it down, while roasting evaporates moisture and caramelizes the edges. Yogurt adds freshness, and lemon juice, used instead of pomegranate molasses, cuts through the pumpkin’s sweetness.
Roasted Pumpkin Meze | Fall Dip with Tahini and Yogurt
Pumpkin is usually treated as a sweet ingredient in Turkish cooking, but roasting concentrates its sugars, and tahini makes it work in a savory dish too. For this meze, the pumpkin is roasted rather than boiled: boiling would water it down, while roasting evaporates moisture and caramelizes the edges. Yogurt adds freshness, and lemon juice, used instead of pomegranate molasses, cuts through the pumpkin’s sweetness. dadagastro.com
4 servings 15 min + 35 min Easy 200°C oven
Step by Step
How to make it?
1
Cut the Pumpkin
10 min
Preheat the oven to 200°C / 390°F. Peel the pumpkin with a sturdy knife, scoop out the seed cavity with a spoon, and cut the flesh into 3 cm cubes. Arrange the cubes in a single layer on a baking sheet with space between them; crowded pieces will steam instead of roast. Drizzle with olive oil and salt, then toss by hand.
2
Roast in the Oven
35 min
Place the baking sheet on the middle rack and roast for 35 minutes, turning the cubes one time during the twentieth minute. The sides touching the pan should have dark brown spots, and the edges should have shrunk inward. The pumpkin is ready when a fork meets no resistance.
3
Mash
3 min
Transfer the roasted pumpkin to a wide bowl and mash it with the back of a fork. Do not use a food processor; it will make the pumpkin too smooth, like baby food. Scrape the dark syrup left on the baking sheet into the bowl as well.
4
Combine with Tahini and Yogurt
2 min
In a separate bowl, whisk the tahini with the lemon juice to loosen it. Mix in the strained yogurt and crushed garlic. Fold this mixture into the cooled pumpkin with a spoon. Spread it on a serving plate and sprinkle with red pepper flakes and coarsely crushed walnuts.
Reminder
Let the roasted pumpkin cool until just warm before mixing it with the yogurt; hot pumpkin can curdle the yogurt and make the meze grainy.
Nutritional Values · 1 serving
Values are estimates
272 kcalCalories
7.5 gProtein
16.7 gCarbohydrate
19.5 gFat
2.3 gFiber
6.7 gSugar
313 mgSodium
4.4 gSaturated Fat
Protein 11% Carbohydrate 25% Fat 64%
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Cevizi üstüne serpmek yerine yarısını içine kattım, doku kazandı. Kalan yarısını da kavurup iri kıydım; kavrulmuş ceviz kabağın tatlılığını kesiyor ve mezeyi tek düze olmaktan çıkarıyor.
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