It’s mid January and our #aboboramenina aka Muskee de Provence pumpkins in the old cellar are at the limit of their storage life.
Today I’ll be making a traditional Portuguese, seasonal treat based on the lovely #aboboramenina
Cut it into wedges, remove the seeds and any bit of loose stringy flesh. Do not peel it. Place on baking sheet or tray.
Roast at 350f for 2 hours.
Roasting will dehydrate the flesh and concentrate the natural sugar of this already sweeter variety of pumpkin.
The syrup that is going to ooze from the pieces is the pure nectar of pumpkin heaven.
Let cool and scoop out the cooked flesh.
Place the flesh in a colander to allow it to drain.
How much you drain it will determine how much flour you will have to add to make it firm enough to work.
Aim at draining overnight for best results.
Once drained, blend smooth. I use the blender but a hand blender should do the job just fine.
You can add the honey, sugar and wine at this time.
Transfer the pulp mix to a bowl. Sift in the flour and cinnamon.
go ahead and test your batter by frying a couple, let them cool and sample.
Add enough oil to the pan to cover the surface. Heat to medium. If you see smoke you’ve gone to far. Scoop a soup spoon full and drop it on the oil. When you notice the edges of the bottom surface turning darker flip it over.
you’ll be adding oil to the pan as you see it drying up. Note: A runny, softer batter will make a fritter with a core that is more like jam.
A heavier batter will make a fritter that is more dense and bread like.
Just remember to add a little more sugar if you decided to add more flour in order to make it denser.
Sprinkle with a little sugar and cinnamon and enjoy.
Makes around 70 fritters
1 Kg oven roasted pumpkin.
200g organic sugar
125 ml honey
50 ml Port wine
300g organic all purpose flour
2 tbsp cinnamon
200 ml extra virgin olive oil