Most of our pumpkins—which are grown more for decoration than for eating—are too watery for this wonderful Turkish dessert. If you can get a small, firm pumpkin, that will do the job just fine. If not, go with winter squash, like butternut, which has firm flesh and is easy to peel.

　　

Ingredients

makes 6 or more servings

　　3 pounds pumpkin or winter squash, like butternut, peeled, seeded, strings removed, and cut into slices or chunks

　　1 cup sugar

　　1 cup chopped walnuts

　　Sweetened whipped cream, crème fraîche, or sour cream for serving, optional

　　

Step 1

Combine the pumpkin and sugar with about 1 cup water in a wide skillet or flameproof casserole with a lid. Cover, turn on the heat, and adjust so the mixture simmers steadily. Cook until the pumpkin is very tender, about 20 minutes.

　　

Step 2

Uncover and adjust the heat so the mixture bubbles; cook until the liquid is syrupy. Transfer the pumpkin to a serving platter and pour the syrup over it. Refrigerate until cold, then sprinkle with the walnuts and serve, with the garnish if you like.

　　The Best Recipes in the World by Mark Bittman. © 2005 by Mark Bittman. Published by Broadway Books. All Rights Reserved.MARK BITTMAN is the author of the blockbuster The Best Recipes in the World (Broadway, 2005) and the classic bestseller How to Cook Everything, which has sold more than one million copies. He is also the coauthor, with Jean-Georges Vongerichten, of Simple to Spectacular and Jean-Georges: Cooking at Home with a Four-Star Chef. Mr. Bittman is a prolific writer, makes frequent appearances on radio and television, and is the host of The Best Recipes in the World, a 13-part series on public television. He lives in New York and Connecticut.