Cabell d'àngel

Angel's hair jam is made with Asian pumpkin

Ensaimades are often stuffed with this jam

Pastissets are often stuffed with it, too

Cabell d'àngel (Catalan pronunciation: [kaˈβɛʎ ˈdaɲʒəɫ], Catalan pronunciation: [kaˈβeʎ ˈdaɲdʒeɫ]; literally in English, Angel's hair) is a transparent threaded jam made from Siam pumpkin (Cucurbita ficifolia) pulp and white sugar. It originated in Mallorca but its use has spread to the rest of Spain and some countries in the Americas.

Uses

Cabell d'àngel can be used simply as a pumpkin jam spread on slices of bread, but it is mainly used to stuff pastries, as ensaïmades, pastissets and coques.

Preparation

To make Cabell d'àngel, first to cut up the Siam pumpkin and simmer in water until the meat breaks down into filaments. Alternatively, it can be baked in an oven, as is done in Mallorca. Rinse the filaments thoroughly and then cook them in a syrup made with water and white sugar, gently stirring the mixture as it cooks. Cabell d'àngel is usually flavored with stick cinnamon or citron skin. It is best when prepared in the spring, once the pumpkins have fully matured. Ingredients:

• 1 pumpkin
• Sugar
• Lemon
• Cinnamon

Preparation:

1. Empty out the pumpkin and take out all the seeds. Weigh the pumpkin and put it to boil with a little water until the filaments are out. Drain it.
2. Put in a pan a little less sugar than the weight of the pumpkin (proportion is 800 g of sugar per kilogram of pumpkin), the juice of one lemon and a little water. Make with this a thick syrup (almívar).
3. Once the almívar is ready, add the cabell d'àngel (from step 1), boil it while you stir it slowly and often -otherwise it gets stuck to the pan-, until it gets the characteristic colour and texture (30 minutes approximately).

See Also

Chila, Cucurbita ficifolia