JAMILEH'S CARAMELIZED PUMPKIN PRESERVES RECIPE

Captured by The Recipe Hunters in Lebanon

carmelizing pumpkin and oranges to make a traditional Lebanese recipe of preserved pumpkin

We met Jamileh through the Souk El Tayeb Farmers' Market where she was known for her delicious winter preserves. Jamileh invited us over to her home in Beirut to learn how to make this special recipes of caramelized pumpkin and orange preserves. Sweet with a citrus and clove flavor, this recipe is perfect to accompany a vanilla or spice ice cream!

Pumpkin Preserve Ingredients

2 kg Pumpkin
1 cup Limestone Powder
2 kg Sugar

4.25 cups of Water
1 tsp Cloved
2 Oranges

Pumpkin Preserves Recipe

Serves 10- 12 People

1. Preparing the pumpkin:

Peel the pumpkin using a sharp knife, remove it's steam, gut it, and cut it into 1 inch cubes. Soak the pumpkin in a cold limestone bath for 24 hours (limestone causes the pumpkin to harden and leaves it with a crisp texture, this ensure the pumkpin will not become mushing during the boiling process).

Peelin the pumpkin's skin, carmelized pumpkin recipe, Lebanon

peeled pumpkin, carmelized pumpkin recipe, Lebanon

gutting the pumpkin of pulp and seeds, , carmelized pumpkin recipe, Lebanon

pumpkin heart, carmelized pumpkin recipe, Lebanon

soaking pumpkin pieces in limestone, carmelized pumpkin recipe, Lebanon

removing the pumpkin pieces from the limestone soak, carmelized pumpkin recipe, Lebanon

2. Rinsing the pumpkin

Rinse the cubed pumpkin with cold water until water straining through them run clear.

rinsing the pumpkin pieces, carmelized pumpkin recipe, Lebanon

3. Creating the syrup

Pour 2kg of sugar (10 cups) into a large pot with 1 kg of water (4.25 cups) and stir continuously with a wooden spoon over medium-high heat. Remove any scum (white foam) that rises in clumps to the surface of the syrup. Once the water begins to boil and the sugar begins to dissolve, add the pumpkin pieces and turn the heat down to medium. Stir the pumpkins delicately as that mix them into the syrup.

Combining sugar and water to create the syrup, carmelized pumpkin recipe, Lebanon

the syrup boiling, carmelized pumpkin recipe, Lebanon

Adding the pumpkin to the syrup, carmelized pumpkin recipe, Lebanon

Jamileh adding the pumpkin to the boiling syrup, carmelized pumpkin recipe, Lebanon

4. Adding the orance slices & cloves and carmelization of the pumpkin pieces

Cut the ends off of the oranges and slice each orange into six pieces. Add them and the tsp of cloves to the boiling pumpkin pieces and spread them over the pumpkin pieces. Do not stir the pumpkins but instead softly push them back down into the syrup if they begin to rise. At this point the syrup should be gently bubbling around the surface of the pumpkins and oranges. Keep the pumpkins on the stove until they turn brown and carmelize (1-1.5 hrs).