“The Turkish love pumpkin in desserts (either baked in its own juice with sugar or poached in syrup) and baklava are a legacy of the Ottoman palace kitchens. Baked in a round tray and sliced into wedges, havuç dilimi is one of our traditional baklava shapes and traditionally walnuts and/or pistachios are used in the filling and as decoration. Here, I combined luscious pumpkin with crunchy walnuts and warming cinnamon to make a delicious seasonal filling for my baklava. It is an impressive (and lighter) version of baklava to serve, especially during the festive season.” - Özlem Warren

SERVES 12

50g unsalted butter, melted (or plant-based alternative or vegetable oil)

21 thin filo sheets (or baklavalık yufka), thawed

1 tbsp crushed walnuts or pistachios, to decorate

Turkish thick cream (kaymak) or clotted cream (or plant-based alternative), to serve

For the syrup

340g (1½ cups) granulated sugar

300ml (1¼ cups) water

6 cloves

juice of ½ small lemon

For the filling

700g pumpkin or butternut squash, peeled, deseeded and cut into 2 cm chunks (prepared weight)

2 tbsp caster sugar

125g (1 cup) shelled walnuts, finely chopped

1 tbsp ground cinnamon

First, prepare the syrup. Put the sugar into a medium, heavy pan, pour in the water and bring to the boil, stirring all the time. When the sugar is dissolved, reduce the heat and stir in the cloves and the lemon juice. Simmer for about 25 minutes until the syrup starts to thicken slightly, coating the back of the spoon. Remove the cloves and leave to cool in the pan.

Preheat the oven to 180°C fan/200°C/gas 6. Line a large baking sheet with baking paper.

To mkae the filling, place the pumpkin or butternut squash slices on the baking sheet in one layer. Sprinkle over the sugar and bake for 35 minutes until softened. Leave to cool, then finely chop the pumpkin or butternut into pieces the size of pine nuts and place in a bowl. Stir in the chopped walnuts and cinnamon, and gently combine well. 

Turn the oven temperature down to 160°C fan/180°C/gas 4. 

Melt the butter over a gentle heat in a small pan and skim off the white foam that forms on top. Brush the base and sides of a 25 cm baking dish (round or square) with the melted butter.

Take the filo sheets out of the package and cut into discs or squares to fit into your baking dish. Place them on a clean, dry surface and cover with a damp towel. Place a filo sheet over the buttered baking dish and brush with more melted butter. Continue in this way until you have used 12 filo sheets. Gently spoon the filling mixture on top, leaving 1 cm around the edges filling free. Gently pat down so that the filling is intact and smooth in one layer. Place another filo sheet on top and brush with melted butter, then continue in this way until you have used up all the pastry. Tuck the edges in to seal with the buttered brush. Use a sharp knife to slice through all the layers and cut into quarters, then cut each quarter into three wedges. 

Gently butter the top layer of pastry again and bake for 55–60 minutes, or until the top is golden. Take the baklava out of the oven and pour the cooled syrup over the hot baklava. Return the baklava to the oven for another 8–10 minutes, then remove and leave to cool.  

Once cool, sprinkle the crushed nuts in the middle of the baklava. Gently remove slices to serving plates and serve with a dollop of kaymak or clotted cream (or plant-based alternative) on the side.

• Prepare ahead: You can prepare the filling and the syrup a day ahead, cover and keep at room temperature. You can also prepare the whole baklava ahead of time – they will keep well for 3–4 days, covered, at room temperature. 

• Tip: Thin filo pastry sheets or baklavalık yufka works best for making baklava. Leftover filo sheets can be wrapped in cling film (plastic wrap) and kept in the refrigerator for a few days.

Read Özlem Warren’s Kitchen Confessional here and our cookbook review here

More recipes from Sebze…