Series: Slavka’s filo pastries
Banitsa with pumpkin is called tikvenik (from tikva=pumpkin), and is a popular dessert for Christmas Eve in Bulgaria. Although many in Canada, including us, enjoy a celebratory roast turkey meal on Christmas Eve instead of Christmas Day, the Bulgarian traditional seasonal dinner is meatless. On the table, there is a variety of vegetarian dishes that include beans, lentils, rice, cabbage and more. Tikvenik is one of them.
Pumpkins and squash of all sorts are available in the fall. I am always surprised at how many pumpkins end in the trash after the Halloween celebrations here. All pumpkins can be cooked one way or another. I roast them alone or in a mix of roots, and make soup or other dishes.
Below are a few different ideas by Slavka.
Tikvenik (Phyllo pastry with pumpkin)
Ingredients:
- 2 cups grated butternut squash (or any sweetish pumpkin)
- 1/2 cup melted coconut oil
- 1/2 cup crushed walnuts or pecans
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 2 Tsp cinnamon
- 8 sheets of phyllo pastry
- icing sugar and coconut whipped cream for garnish
Preparation
Grease the bottom of a large baking sheet or pan.
Mix the walnuts with the brown sugar and cinnamon.
Brush a filo sheet very lightly with oil.
Spread about 2-3 tbsp of the grated squash on a phyllo sheet, then sprinkle with 2 -3 tbsp of the walnuts sugar mix as shown on the photo.
Roll up the phyllo sheet loosely into a long tube, then curl it into a spiral and place it in the pan. Repeat with the rest of the sheets.
Preheat the oven to 375°F/190°C and bake for about 40 min, or until well toasted on the top.
Remove from the oven and let it sit for about 10 min.
For serving, sprinkle with icing sugar and garnish with coconut whipped cream.
Bon Appétit!
Mini Pumpkin Pies
Ingredients:
- 1 cup of pumpkin purée
- 2 eggs
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 3 Tsp coconut oil
- 5 Tsp almond flour or whole wheat flour
- 1/2 tsp pumpkin spice
- 12 sheets of phyllo dough
- pine nuts for decoration
Preparation
Cut the filo sheets in half and fold each of them into one of the slots of a muffin pan. Press the phyllo baskets tightly and place a little coconut oil in the middle of each basket. Bake in a preheated 350°F/175°C oven for 3-5 minutes until crispy and remove from oven.
In a bowl, whisk the eggs with the brown sugar, mix in the pumpkin puree, the spice and the flour.
Distribute the pumpkin pie mix in the phyllo baskets in the muffin pan and bake in a preheated 350°F/175°C oven for 20 minutes. Decorate with pine nuts and serve warm with whipped cream on top.
Variation
Instead of pumpkin puree mix, use a piece of pumpkin or butternut squash. Prepare the phyllo in a muffin pan as in the above recipe. Place a small piece of pumpkin in each phyllo basket. Sprinkle a mix of walnuts or pecans and brown sugar and bake in the preheated (350°F/175°C) oven for about 15 to 20 min.
(All photos in this post are credited to Slavka Angelova)
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