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Pumpkin Fritters

Prep Time: 10mins

Cooking Time: 1 - 2 mins each

Servings: Depends!!

Today is our day for Pumpkin Fritters at Home Cooking Haven......Good morning to each and everyone, so glad to have you here with us.

When I woke up this morning with a gourmet craving, I knew only our delicious, tasty fritters recipe would relieve this craving.

These fritters are perfect for many things...... from when you are having friends around for some sundowners or snacks for the children's lunch boxes and you can freeze them to enjoy later. .

This is also a great snack for those people in the world who will be celebrating Halloween this year.

Story Time:

My mother, who was a big influence in nurturing my love for cooking, used to treat us to these fritters at least once a month. She used to get us all involved (and there were 5 of us) from mixing the batter to peeling the pumpkin and as a reward we could choose what kind of fritters we wanted, for example Banana Fritters.

The only problem my Mom had was "us" because as fast as she removed them from the pan the faster we were pinching them, good old days those!!

I am smacking my lips already, so let's start a-cooking shall we?

Ingredients

Right..... first things first, let's get all the ingredients for our Fritters together so we can start having fun.

250 g cooked pumpkin mashed.
140 g (250 ml) self raising flour.
1 large egg.
1 cup milk.
60ml sugar.
Cinnamon sugar mix. (Mix ¼ cup brown sugar and ground cinnamon to taste).
Salt to taste

Benefits of Pumpkin

The fiber and potassium in pumpkin all support heart health.
Increased potassium intakes can also help in the reduction and formation of kidney stones.
Pumpkin is chock a block full of vitamins and minerals and is low on calories.
It is also a natural antioxidant

Method for Pumpkin Fritters

Okey dokey, time to gather the family and start making the batter for our delicious Fritters.

A friendly warning here, you will need to have eyes in the back of your head when you start cooking the fritters, the kids will nick them and eat them quicker than you can make them, but none the less ,you must still get them all involved, everyone will enjoy themselves, and you can relax while they do all the hard work ha ha ha....

PREPARING THE PUMPKIN FRITTER BATTER (try and say that quickly!!)

Peel and cut pumpkin in small cubes and cook until soft.
Remove the cooked pumpkin from the pot, drain moisture and mash.
Mix egg and milk in a large bowl

Add the mash pumpkin, season with salt and pepper and continue to mix.
Now gradually add your flour continue mixing until nice and smooth .

FRYING THE PUMPKIN FRITTERS

Place a basting spoon of the mixture into the hot oil.
Cook until golden brown on one side then turn the fritter and repeat for the other side.
Remove from the oil with a slotted spoon and drain on absorbent paper.
Leave to cool and sprinkle with the cinnamon and sugar mix.
.
Top with fresh cream..
Honey..
Any flavour of ice cream...

Remember the eyes in the back of your head!!

TIP for the Chef, make your pumpkin fritters last, they always seem to get better the more you make.
Using the same recipe above you can make a variety of fritters using Banana's, Butternut, Apple etc. The only ingredient that changes is the vegetable or fruit you will then be using.
You can also use a muffin baking tray to make your muffins.

Method using baking tray:

Pre heat oven to 200°C.
Spay the hollows of the tray with non stick spray.
Bake in oven for 15-18 minutes until done..

Serving

Great you have completed a great snack that can be served with: fresh cream.

Yoghurt.
Ice cream.
Drizzle with Honey.
Fresh Cream.

Enjoy

Cooking Terms and Tips

Al Dente: Usually applied to Pasta, means cooked until just done, but not soft. The pasta should still maintain some "bite:

Barbeque: . To cook foods over coals, known as a Braai in South Africa (The best in the world for this type of cooking).

Baste: To moisten food for added flavor and to prevent drying out while cooking.

Blanch: To cook briefly in boiling water to seal in flavour and color.

Braise: To cook first by browning, then gently simmer till done.

Caremelize: To Heat sugar until it liquefies and becomes a syrup.

Core: To remove the seeds or tough woody centers from fruits and vegetables.

Cream: The butterfat portion of milk. Also to beat ingredients, sually sugar and a fat, until smooth and fluffy.

Cube: To cut foot into small ½ inch cubes.

Cut In: To distribute a solid fat in flour using a cutting motion, with 2 knives used scissors-fashion or a pastry blender, until divided evenly into tiny pieces. Usually refers to naking pastry.

Croutons: These are tiny cubes of toasted or fried bread, used as a garnish for

Coriander: Also known as Dhania

Dollop: A spoonful of soft food such as whipped cream or mashed potatoes.

Dot: To scatter butter in bits over food.

Dress: To coat foods such as salad with a sauce. Also, to clean fish, poultry or game for cooking.

Drippings: Juices and fats rendered by meat or poultry while cooking.

Drizzle: To pour melted butter, oil, syrup, melted chocolate, or other liquid back and forth over food in a fine stream.

Experiment: Always keep to the basics, but, take out and put in spices etc to your tastes.

Fines Herbs: A mixture of herbs, normally parsley, chervil, chives and tarragon used to flavour fish, chicken and eggs.

Glace: To coat foods with glossy mixtures such as jellies or sauces.

Julienne: To cut into long thin strips match-sticklike in shape

Macerate: To soak in flavoured liquid; usually refers to fruit

Picked Over: If you are working with lentils or other beans you might sometimes find a few little rocks that managed to sneak their way in, picked over means to make sure there are none left in what you are going to be using.

Poach: To cook gently over very low heat ib barely simmering liquid just to cover.

Puree: To mash or grind food until completely smooth. usually in a food processor, blender, sieve, or food mill.

Ragout: The basic method of preparation involves slow cooking over a low heat.

Reduce: To thicken a liquid and concentrate its flavor by boiling.

Render: To cook fatty meat or poultry - such as bacon or goose - over low heat to obtain drippings.

Sear: To brown surface of meat quickly over a high heat, to seal in juices.

Skim: To remove surface foam or fat from a liquid

Seep: Tp soak in a liquid just under the boiling point to extract the essence i.e. Tea.

Truss: To tie whole poultry with skin or skewers so it will hold its shape in cooking.

Zest: The outer, colored part of the peel of citrus fruits.