While we’re intimidated by cooking competitions, we do have our own favorite pumpkin recipes, one of which we’re happy to share so you can be the judge. These fritters use fresh pumpkin and come together quickly. Serve warm with a sweet-spicy dipping sauce.
Serves 2
Oil for frying
1¼ cups grated raw pumpkin
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 large egg, beaten
1 tablespoon milk
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon baking powder
Kosher salt and ground black pepper to taste
Thai sweet chili sauce
Chives or green onions, minced
Cut a cooking pumpkin into wedges, remove seeds and cut off skin with a sharp paring knife. Grate pumpkin and blot with a towel to absorb excess moisture.
In a large bowl, mix pumpkin, flour, egg, milk, cheese, baking powder, salt and pepper. Stir to combine well; the mixture should barely bind together, but not be watery.
In a large frying pan over mediumhigh heat, add about a quarter cup of oil. When oil shimmers, scoop large spoonfuls of pumpkin mixture into hot oil (cook in batches). Gently flatten into discs with a spatula. To avoid sticking, carefully lift each fritter after about 20 seconds. Continue to cook until golden brown, about a minute and a half on each side.
Remove with spatula to a plate lined with paper towels to absorb excess oil. Sprinkle with chives or green onions; serve with sweet chili sauce, which can be found in the Asian section of most grocery stores.
Meda Kessler is edible Dallas Forth Worth's art director, layout designer, and more.