Samhain Recipe: Butternut & Raisin Fritters

Butternut & Raisin Fritters

Pampoenkoekies (pumpkin fritters) are a part of South Africa’s culinary history, being served as either an accompaniment to a meal, or as a dessert. Drawing on our culinary heritage, this updated version uses sweet butternut and adds raisins to make the perfect Samhain treat.

Ingredients:

500ml cooked butternut, mashed

125ml cake flour, sifted

10ml baking powder

25ml castor sugar

125ml raisins

2 large eggs, beaten

Oil or butter for frying

125ml brown sugar

5-10ml ground cinnamon

Method:

1. In a mixing bowl, combine the butternut, cake flour, baking powder, castor sugar and raisins. Mix well

2. Mix in the beaten eggs. You should have a thick batter that is not runny.

3. Heat the oil or butter in a frying pan on a medium to high heat.

4. Drop spoonfuls of the batter into the frying pan, ensuring they are not too close together.

5. When the fritters start to bubble, carefully flip them over. When cooked, they should feel ‘springy’.

6. Place cooked fritters on paper towel.

To serve, mix together the brown sugar and ground cinnamon and sprinkle over warm fritters.

Tips:

• The success of these fritters depends on the butternut- it needs to be dry and not hold any excess water. The best cooking method to achieve this is by steaming the butternut.
• Before adding the raisins to the mixture, lightly coat them in a tablespoon of flour. This prevents them from clumping together in the batter.
• If the batter is too thick, add a tablespoon of milk; if it is too runny, add an additional tablespoon of cake flour.