In October, it is popular to cook recipes with the squash known as pumpkin. But, that’s too basic. Today on Unorganized Cooking, we’re cooking with a calabaza. For those of you translating, you either already know what a calabaza is, or you’re probably saying, “Oh, isn’t that Spanish for pumpkin?” Well yes, but actually no. It’s similar to a pumpkin, though it has a higher water content and only grows in tropical climates. This is unlike their orange cousin who can grow in colder climates and is usually used as decor and left to rot and serve as rodent food rather than actually getting cooked.

Today, we’re cooking Ayote en miel. An ayote is basically just Central American Spanish for calabaza, which is also Spanish, just normal Spanish. And also, I know you can’t see this, but I wish the AI could stop putting that annoying red squiggly line every time I type “ayote en miel.” Oh, and also “decor.” How is decor even wrong? I can’t even imagine what this looks like in French. But, back to the recipe!

What you’ll need:

• Calabaza. Can either be whole or pre-sliced. Mine was pre-sliced. Also, if it looks like there’s more calabaza in the next images, that’s because I got a second one.
• 1 – 3 sticks of cinnamon. Or grounded, just as long as it’s cinnamon.
• Panela – This is basically just a circular sugar brick. Regular brown sugar isn’t going to work as well. The more calabaza, the more panela.
• 1/4 cup of water – You might think that that’s too little, but trust me, this thing leaks like watermelon. Then you just get a bit of ayote in your pool of sugar-water and squash juice.

Cooking Time: 1 hour to 1 hour and 20 minutes

Instructions:

1. First, you’re gonna want to cut the calabaza into even slices. Be cautious with this, since the rind is tougher than normal pumpkin. Maybe use heavy duty gloves. When you’re done slicing, the pieces should look like this.

2. In a large pot, put the whole panela, along with the cinnamon and 1/4 cup of water. Afterwards, throw the slices of calabaza into the pot.

(Honestly, that’s definitely more than a 1/4 cup of water. Also, as much as that looks like vegetable oil, it’s not. That’s just the panela leaching into the water).

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3. For about an hour, cook the calabaza on medium heat, and around every quarter, stir.

4. After an hour, it should be done. If it looks soggy, that’s because it’s supposed to be. Also, the rind is edible, or at least I eat it.

And there you have it. That’s how you cook ayote en miel. Instruction-wise, that was definitely quicker and simpler than the deviled eggs recipe done last time. Once again, that annoying red underline is back as if AI can’t read Spanish. I hope you enjoy!