Mike Solomonov’s Savory Squash Konafi
You can use any type of winter squash for this unique Middle Eastern dish, including red kuri, acorn, or butternut.
Serves8
Prep20 minutes to 25 minutes
Cook1 hour 5 minutes to 1 hour 10 minutes
As a chef, the origin stories of some dishes are very clear, while others are a bit murkier. This recipe falls into the second camp. I’m not exactly sure where or when this savory version of the Middle Eastern dessert known as konafi came about, but I’m pretty sure an overabundance of butternut squash in the walk-in cooler at one of my restaurants was to blame. Living and cooking in Eastern Pennsylvania, there’s a certain time of year where squash and cabbage are what you have to work with, so you end up getting pretty creative with those ingredients.
Classic konafi is made by wrapping kataifi (the super-skinny pastry that’s similar to phyllo but looks almost like vermicelli noodles) around a sweet filling, often a fresh cheese. The konafi are placed on a baking sheet, topped with syrup, and baked until the top layer is brown and crispy while the inside remains soft and creamy. You’ll see konafi piled high in Middle Eastern markets, sometimes dyed bright orange.
Years ago, the great French chef Joël Robuchon dropped shrimp wrapped in kataifi into the deep fryer and — voila! — konafi became a savory dish. In my take on savory konafi I press a mixture of kataifi, eggs, feta, cream, and a mix of grated and puréed butternut squash into a shallow casserole dish and bake it gently. Once it cools, I cut it into squares and sear it on both sides, creating a caramelized, crispy exterior with a molten interior.
Because squash is pretty mild and somewhat sweet, I wanted to balance the dish with something acidic. That component became an apple and olive salad that has a salty, briny punch from the olives and a fruity, slightly acidic flavor from the apples. So you’ve got the salty and bitter from the olives, and then the earthy and sort of gooey from the squash, and then then crispy kataifi so everything comes together.
Savory Konafi with Apple-Olive Salad Recipe
You can use any type of winter squash for this unique Middle Eastern dish, including red kuri, acorn, or butternut.
Prep time 20 minutes to 25 minutes
Cook time 1 hour 5 minutes to 1 hour 10 minutes
Serves 8
Nutritional Info
Ingredients
For the konafi:
- 1
(1-pound) box frozen kataifi, thawed cut into 1-inch sections
- 2 3/4 to 3 pounds
whole winter squash, such as red kuri, acorn, or butternut
- 3 cloves
garlic
- 1 tablespoon
olive oil
- 3/4 teaspoon
kosher salt, divided
- 2 tablespoons
unsalted butter, plus more for the baking dish
- 1 teaspoon
onion powder
- 1 teaspoon
dry mustard
- 1 teaspoon
garlic powder
- 8 ounces
feta cheese
- 1/2 cup
heavy cream
- 1
large egg
- 2 tablespoons
canola oil, plus more as needed
Bottarga, for garnish (optional)
For the salad:
- 2
medium sweet apples, such as Honeycrisp (about 1 pound total)
- 1/4 cup
sliced pitted green olives, such as Castelvetrano
- 3 tablespoons
olive oil
- 1 tablespoon
freshly squeeze lemon juice
- 1/4 teaspoon
kosher salt
Instructions
Make the konafi:
Thaw 1 pound kataifi according to package directions.
Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat the oven to 350°F. Coat a 9x11-inch or 9x13-inch baking dish with unsalted butter.
Peel 2 3/4 to 3 pounds whole winter squash, cut in half, and scrape out any seeds and stringy bits. Grate the squash on the large holes of a box grater until you have 2 cups. Cut the remaining squash into 1/2-inch cubes until you have 3 cups. Thinly slice 3 garlic cloves.
Place the cubed squash on a rimmed baking sheet, drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon of the kosher salt, and toss to coat. Arrange in a single layer on the baking sheet. Bake until the squash is tender, about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, cook the grated squash.
Melt 2 tablespoons unsalted butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the grated squash, garlic, 1 teaspoon onion powder, 1 teaspoon dry mustard, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt. Cook until the squash is tender, about 8 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat.
When the cubed squash is ready, remove from the oven and let cool for a few minutes. Transfer to a food processor. Crumble in 8 ounces feta cheese with your hands. Add 1/2 cup heavy cream and 1 large egg and process until smooth.
Cut the kataifi with kitchen shears into 1-inch wide sections. Place in a large bowl and pull apart the threads with your fingers. Add the cooked grated squash and the squash purée and stir well co completely coat the kataifi threads. Spoon the mixture into the prepared baking dish and smooth the top with the back of a spatula to make an even surface.
Bake until firm, the top is dry and beginning to crisp, and the edges are just starting to turn golden brown, about 30 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes. Loosely cover with aluminum foil and refrigerate until completely cooled, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
Make the salad:
When ready to serve, core and dice 2 medium sweet apples (no need to peel, about 4 cups). Add 1/4 cup sliced pitted green olives, 3 tablespoons olive oil, 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice, and 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt. Toss to combine.
Cut the chilled konafi into about 3-inch squares. Heat 2 tablespoons canola oil in a large nonstick frying pan over medium heat until shimmering but not smoking. Add 4 konafi squares and cook undisturbed until dark golden brown on the bottom, about 4 minutes. Flip and cook until the second side is dark golden brown, about 4 minutes more. Transfer to a plate and repeat frying the remaining konafi, adding more oil to the pan between batches as needed.
Top the fried konafi with the apple-olive salad and grate bottarga on top if you like.
Recipe Notes
Make ahead: The konafi can be made and refrigerated up to 1 day ahead.
Recipe from Zahav, © 2015 by Michael Solomonov and Steven Cook. Reproduced by permission of Rux Martin Books/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.