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Dulce de alcayota
Dulce de alcayota: golden, stringy Cuyo preserve of fig-leaf gourd cooked with sugar, cinnamon and walnuts
Late autumn in San Juan and Mendoza, the huge striped alcayotas (fig-leaf gourds, Cucurbita ficifolia) are left to cure in the sun, then split open for this preserve: the white flesh separates into long strands like angel hair, which cook in syrup until golden, glossy and translucent, with walnuts and a hint of cinnamon and clove. It is spooned onto bread, eaten with fresh cheese, and used to fill empanadas and pastries. Look for alcayota at Latin American grocers (sometimes sold as chilacayote or cidra); spaghetti squash makes a respectable stand-in. Cooking the syrup too hard is the trap: it caramelises and turns the preserve dark and bitter, so keep it at a gentle bubble. For safe storage, jars must be sterilised and sealed hot. Chef's tip: rinse the cooked strands in cold water before they go into the syrup; it washes off the starch and keeps the threads separate and clear.
- Total time
- 180 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 20
Ingredients
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Cut the gourd into wedges, scoop out the seeds and cut away the hard skin to get 2 ¼ lb alcayota (fig-leaf gourd) flesh. Cut it into chunks.
Step 2: Boil the chunks in plenty of water until the flesh starts to separate into strands when pressed with a fork.
20 minStep 3: Drain, cool slightly, then pull the flesh apart into strands with two forks. Rinse in cold water and drain well.
Step 4: Bring 1 ¾ lb sugar and 2 cups water to the boil in a wide, heavy pan, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Add 1 cinnamon stick, 4 cloves and 3 strips of lemon peel.
Step 5: Add the strands, bring back to a gentle simmer and cook uncovered, stirring now and then, until the threads are translucent and golden and the syrup thickly coats a spoon.
110 minStep 6: Stir in 3 ½ oz walnut pieces and simmer until the syrup reaches the setting stage: a drop on a cold plate wrinkles when pushed.
10 minStep 7: Fish out the cinnamon, cloves and peel. Ladle the hot preserve into hot sterilised jars, seal at once and turn upside down for 5 minutes. Store in a cool, dark place and refrigerate once opened.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 210 kcal
- Protein
- 1 g
- Carbs
- 44 g
- Fat
- 4 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does dulce de alcayota take?
- About 180 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 150 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 20 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
- What can I use instead of cinnamon stick?
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon per stick.
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