I had never made angel hair before and even thought I wasn't a big fan of this sweet concoction. This recipe is a special request from Doña Claudia and I am especially grateful to her because a homemade angel hair as it is ordered is something else, not even a point of comparison with the industrial bayonese fillings that I have known since I was a dwarf.

I was so ignorant that I had never seen a pumpkin or cider in my life and… it impresses you because it seems that I am going to speak to you. Because of its size and because of its tender and sweet meat. One Love.

The angel hair is nothing more than the candied pulp in sugar , like a jam, of this pumpkin, pulp that must be previously cooked to soften it and remove it from the skin. But the process, although it has several stages, is very easy , and homemade hair will help you to make some pastissets , cider cutlets or impression ensaimadas. Let's go with it.

Mediterranean glass bowl and Le Creuset oval cocotte

Ingredients

• 1 cider squash
• water to cook
• The same weight of cider pulp in sugar (or less if we want it less sweet)
• ½ lemon without seeds
• 1 cinnamon stick

Elaboration

1. We cut the pumpkin into eighths; must be used thoroughly because the skin is very hard. Some people directly recommend throwing it on the ground to break it. What a pity.
2. Put the pieces in a pot or pots, cover with water and cook over low heat, covered, for at least an hour until the pulp is tender.
3. Remove from pot and drain. When the pumpkin can be touched without burning, we remove the seeds it has; they are easily removed, but you have to be careful with some small ones that are the same color as the pulp.
4. With a fork, we scratch the meat well, leaving only the skin, and we put it in a colander placed over a bowl so that the liquid it has absorbed during cooking drains off. We will have to throw the liquid at some point so that it continues to drain.
5. When the pulp of the pumpkin no longer releases more liquid, we weigh it. Next, we weigh the same weight obtained, but with sugar, or a little less if we want less sweet angel hair.
6. Put the pulp and sugar with a stick of cinnamon and half a lemon in a cocotte and bring to a boil.
7. Cook over low heat, covered, until you can see that the angel hair has that characteristic cinnamon or amber color and you can see the translucent strands.
8. If at this point there is still some liquid left, uncover the pot and cook a little more until it is reduced.
9. Let cool, remove the cinnamon and lemon, and pack. It lasts the same as a jam; if we do not pack it in sterilized jars we will have to keep it in the fridge.

Airtight glass jars Luigi Bormioli

Did you find it difficult? It is not, making angel hair just requires some planning, but it is so simple you will wonder why you did not do it before. Go for it.