Sweet Spanish Squash Triangle

Hola!!!

Today I made a traditional Spanish dessert. Making this recipe again in the United States transported me back to my childhood and my Àvia’s kitchen in Spain. My Àvia is my grandmother whom I love very much and who, over the years, has taught me and inspired in me the passion that I have for food today. This particular recipe stems from a tradition that is very common in Spain.

On Sundays in Spain, it is very traditional to visit a bakery after attending church service to purchase a dessert for that day’s lunch, an important meal that always brings families together. Instead of going to the bakery, I was fortunate enough to have a great cook at home, my Avia! We would make this dessert just about every Sunday. Always with my grandma, and sometimes also with my mom as well. This is a recipe that has been in my family for many years. My grandma would make this recipe with her mom as a kid, as would my mom, with her mom, my grandma.

This recipe is really easy to make and obviously, as you can tell, very kid friendly. It brings people together, both in the cooking aspect and more importantly, the eating aspect!

Recipe:

8 oz puff pastry Sheet
One 1.5 lb spaghetti squash
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cinnamon stick
the peel of one orange
1/8 cup chopped unsalted almonds
powdered sugar

1 large egg

Preheat the oven to 360 F. Cut the squash in half. Using a spoon, scrape out all of the seeds. Using a knife, poke holes in the spaghetti squash and microwave it for 5 to 7 minutes on high. Next, use a fork to scrape lengthwise the inside meat of the squash. The result are long stringy pieces of squash, these are the why they call it “spaghetti” squash.

In a non-stick pot and on medium heat, add the spaghetti squash, one cup of granulated sugar, the cinnamon stick and the orange peel. Cook for 15 minutes on medium heat, stirring every few minutes. Reduce to low and cook for 5 more minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove the orange peel and the cinnamon stick.

While the squash mixture is cooking, you can roll the dough out onto a well-floured surface into a 17″ x 9″ shape. Transfer the dough onto a baking sheet.

Next, spread the squash mixture on only one half of your dough rectangle, making sure to leave ½ inch of the edge free of squash. (We will fold the other half over.) Ensure the squash filling is flat and even.

Make a quick egg wash by beating one egg. Brush the edges of the dough with the egg wash. Now, fold the empty half of the dough on top of the other half. Seal the edges by using your fingers to pinch the edge closed. (You don’t want the squash leaking out!) Cut it into 8 triangles.

Brush the triangles with the egg wash and sprinkle on some of the chopped almonds.

Place it into the oven and bake for 15 to 18 minutes, until it turns a nice golden brown. Remove from the oven and let it cool down.

Sprinkle the top with powdered sugar.

Bon Profit!