SAVOURING PUMPKINS
Chef Ilona Daniel goes off the beaten dessert path with her recipe for kolok-ithopita
The largest fruit on the planet, the symbol of all of creation on earth and protector from the dark demon, “Stingy Jack”, the pumpkin is a storied fruit with folklore and recipes from across the globe. As we find ourselves firmly entrenched into autumn, it is the ideal time to explore various iterations of this autumnal squash.
The pumpkin is believed to have its origins in North America but was named in the Greek, “pepon” meaning “large melon”. It is in the spirit of the Greeks that I have found inspiration for this off-the- beaten-path pumpkin recipe.
Typically, when we approach pumpkin in North American contexts, the dish is often sweet and nearly always presented as a pie almost exclusively at Thanksgiving and Christmas.
The dish I’m sharing with you is decidedly earthy and savoury, pulling punchy notes of salinity from feta cheese, earthy herbaceousness from oregano and mint and sweetness coming in from both the pumpkin and sautéed onions.
This dish is a phyllo pie, much like the famous spanakopita but starring pumpkin rather than spinach. In my iteration of kolokithopita, I am including some sautéed Tuscan kale because I like the idea of the textural and flavour compliment the main ingredients share with one another. The kale is not a traditional ingredient in this dish, quite often zucchini is added in, but I think Tuscan kale stands up better against the autumn landscape.
You can experiment with shapes as well. If the idea of making little triangle parcels out of phyllo dough is unappealing to you, you can bake the dish like a casserole putting eight layers of phyllo on the top and bottom instead.