Directions

Filling

1. Peel, remove the seeds and cut the butternut pumpkin in small cubes, as similar in size as possible. Place the cut pumpkin with the rest of the filling ingredients in a sealed container. Put the container in the fridge overnight or for at least 3-4 hours. That will allow the bulgur to rehydrate before baking. As often as you can stir the ingredients during that time to ensure the juices are well distributed.

Dough

1. If you make the dough by hand combine the flour, salt and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Then drizzle the extra virgin olive oil and rub it together with the flour in between your hands. That will help distribute the olive oil in the dough. Combine the water with the lemon juice and then pour it slowly in the flour while kneading it. Once all the ingredients are mixed you may place the dough on a clean bench to knead. Knead the dough for at least 10min or until a smooth dough is achieved. The dough will be elastic and slightly sticky but not wet. Form the dough into a ball, rub the surface with some extra virgin olive oil and cover the bowl with a clean towel. Allow the dough to rest for at least 1.5 hours.

2. If you make the dough using a stand mixer first make sure the ingredients can fit in the size of your mixer bowl, otherwise halve the ingredients and make two batches. Attach the hook accessory and in the mixer bowl add the flour, sugar and salt. On a low speed mix the dry ingredients together for 20 seconds. Then pour the extra virgin olive oil slowly and increase the speed slightly to allow the olive oil to combine well for 2min. Lastly pour the water and lemon juice slowly until all is combined. Allow the mixer to knead the dough for 2-3min on a medium speed, then increase the speed for a further 3-4min. You know the dough is ready when it’s smooth and can easily come off the hook. The dough will be elastic and slightly sticky but not wet. Form the dough into a ball, rub the surface with some extra virgin olive oil and cover the bowl with a clean towel. Allow the dough to rest for at least 1.5 hours.

Asembly

1. Preheat the oven to 170°C fan forced. Cut the dough in 6 equal portions and work with one at a time, while the rest are well covered in the bowl to avoid drying. Roll out the dough to a thickness of about 2mm and use a round plate and a knife/pastry cutter to cut out circles. The plate I used was 15cm in diameter and for each of the six dough portion I got 5 circles cut out. Remove the excess dough around the circles and cover them in the bowl with the rest of the dough. Combine the extra dough cut outs together with the rest of the dough, and in the end use them to form more circles.

2. Before you place the filling, use the rolling pin to stretch out the dough circle slightly. Place 2 heaped tablespoons of the filling in each circle and fold over the dough to form a semicircle. Ensure you keep the bench clean from any bulgur falling out so that it doesn’t pierce through the dough when you are rolling it out. To seal each one, use a fork to press around the edges or twist the edges over. The dough should be sticky enough to help you seal them. Once the kolokotes are sealed use a fork to pierce the top of each one, which will allow the moisture to escape during baking. Place them on a lined tray, with some space between them and then brush some extra virgin olive oil on them.

3. Bake the kolokotes for 35min or until they are evenly brown in colour. Repeat the steps above until the dough and filling are finished. About 35 kolokotes will be made. After baking place them on a cooling rack and allow them to completely cool down before storing them in an airtight container. The kolokotes are also freezer friendly, sealed in a container or a freezer bag.