Thomasina Miers’ pumpkin and carrot fritters with green chilli and coriander relish. Photograph: Phoebe Pearson/The Guardian. Food styling: Emma Cantlay. Prop styling: Lucy Turnbull. Food styling assistant: Thea Hudson. View image in fullscreen Thomasina Miers’ pumpkin and carrot fritters with green chilli and coriander relish. Photograph: Phoebe Pearson/The Guardian. Food styling: Emma Cantlay. Prop styling: Lucy Turnbull. Food styling assistant: Thea Hudson. Food Fritters and chocolate cake: Thomasina Miers’ recipes for cooking with pumpkin Quick, simple finger food that children will love for Halloween: pumpkin and carrot fritters with a chilli-coriander relish, and pumpkin baked into a dark chocolate slice
Prefer the Guardian on Google I t would be lazy to write, with a rueful shake of the head, that Halloween gets bigger every year. Halloween is huge . I have seen it grow, vicariously, through my children year on year and, despite previously approaching it with a Scrooge-like attitude, something in me has shifted. Perhaps it’s simply the pleasure I see light up in all toddlers through to teens; they can’t get enough of the fandango of dressing up, mixed with its unmistakable, irresistible sprinkle of wickedness. So now I am in. Last year, we had 60 14-year-olds dancing the night away, and I wish I’d made them the recipes here, both of which play on the deliciously sweet, wonderfully savoury nature of pumpkin, that most brilliant of Mexican fruit. Quick, utterly delicious and the perfect finger food. Happy Halloween!
Delightfully crisp, rich in flavour and delicately spiced, these are simple to throw together but look and taste spectacular, especially with the zippy relish for dipping.
Prep 15 min Cook 40 min Makes 14 , to feed 4-6 as a starter
200g squash or pumpkin wedges (delica, crown prince, butternut), peeled 200g carrots , scrubbed clean 2 tsp olive oil 8 spring onions , trimmed and finely chopped 2 tsp coriander seeds 2 tsp cumin seeds 1 tsp ground cinnamon Salt and black pepper 2 fat garlic cloves , peeled and finely grated or minced 15g ginger , peeled and finely grated or minced 120g gram flour Neutral oil , for frying Greek yoghurt , to serve
For the relish 1-2 green chillies , to taste, stalks discarded, then roughly chopped (remove the pith and seeds first if you prefer less heat) 1 bunch coriander Juice of 1 lime 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar 1 tsp runny honey 1 garlic clove , peeled and roughly chopped 1 shallot , peeled and finely chopped
Coarsely grate the pumpkin and carrot, then wrap them in a clean tea towel or kitchen paper, and squeeze hard to push out any excess moisture.
Put a frying pan on a medium heat, add the oil and spring onions, and cook, stirring, for two to three minutes. Grind the coriander and cumin seeds in a mortar, then add to the pan with the cinnamon and a few generous pinches of salt, and cook for a few minutes more. Add the garlic and ginger, and cook, stirring all the time, for a couple of more minutes. By now, the onions will have softened and the mixture will be smelling irresistibly fragrant. Tip the lot into a large bowl, then add the grated pumpkin and carrots, and the gram flour. Season with a little more salt and plenty of black pepper, then mix to combine.
To make the relish, set aside half the chopped chilli, then put the rest in a food processor with all the remaining relish ingredients and a tablespoon of cold water. Blend to a smooth sauce, then taste, season with salt and…