The time to make pestil is September when the grapes have ripened and are ready to be picked.It took a couple of days for the juice to dry and become “leather,” at which point everyone went back to work, peeling the grape leather off the sheets, cutting it into squares, and folding it like handkerchiefs before being stored in wooden boxes to use in winter months. Here is the recipe, which you can make in your kitchen, spreading the thickened juice on silicone baking mats instead of cotton sheets. Pestil lasts a whole year, until the next grape season.
SERVES 8 TO 10
INGREDIENTS:
- 4 tablespoons wheat starch
- 2 tablespoons raw cane sugar
- 2 tablespoons grape molasses (pekmez)
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Mix the wheat starch with 2 cups (500 ml) water in a medium saucepan. Add the sugar and grape molasses and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Reduce the heat to medium-low and let bubble gently for about 15 minutes, until the mixture is very creamy.
- Spread the pestil with a spatula over ½ sheet pan lined with a silicone baking mat. Let dry either in a very low oven or on your kitchen counter. Once dry, cut into large squares and fold like handkerchiefs to serve. Store in a closed container in a cool place where they will keep for one year, possibly longer.
