Pumpkin & Pecan Strudel

It’s pumpkin spice time again. At this time of year you literally can’t escape pumpkin spiced lattes, pumpkin muffins, pumpkin cheesecakes and any other variety of squash related recipes. Thankfully, I LOVE them.

Here’s my contribution to pumpkin season’s seemlingly endless list of recipes, which is hopefully slightly different than the norm. It’s a strudel, which is a sweet filling wrapped in crispy filo pastry and best served with custard (although cream is also acceptable).

I actually made last year, before my type 1 diabetes diagnosis, so this is a full sugar recipe and comes in at 61g carb per portion. To reduce this, I’d replace sugar with sweetener and replace the breadcrumbs with more ground almonds.

Recipe from BBC Good Food

Serves 6

1kg/2lb 4 oz pumpkin or butternut squash (peeled weight- 1 medium pumpkin or 1 large butternut squash), deseeded and cut into large chunks
2 tsp vegetable oil
140g soft light brown sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
100g ground almonds
100g fresh white breadcrumbs
1 large egg, beaten, ½ tbsp reserved for glazing
1 tbsp ground cinnamon
good grating nutmeg
6 sheets filo pastry
85g butter, melted
100g pecans, chopped, 1 tbsp reserved for the top
maple syrup, to serve
cream or custard, to serve (optional)

Method

Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Toss the pumpkin or squash with the oil on a baking tray. Bake for 45 mins until really tender, then leave to cool.
Tip the pumpkin into a food processor, whizz until smooth, then tip into a bowl. Add the sugar, almonds, breadcrumbs, egg and spices, and mix well. This can be done up to 2 days ahead.
Lower oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3. Layer the pastry sheets on top of each other, brushing some melted butter and a sprinkling of sugar and chopped pecans between each sheet. Spoon the pumpkin filling along one long edge of the pastry in a long log shape, leaving a 2.5cm gap at either end. Turn up the ends, then carefully roll up the strudel and brush the edge with egg to seal.
Transfer to a baking tray, sealed-side down. Brush with the reserved egg, drizzle over any leftover butter and sprinkle with the reserved pecans and extra sugar. Bake for 40 mins until golden and crisp. Leave to stand for 10 mins before slicing, then serve with maple syrup and cream or custard, if you like.