Excitement is mounting in the Forkful household as our annual pre-trick or treating party looms. This year, along with jack-o-lantern cookies, pus jelly with worms and the like, we’ve tried out some delicious savoury recipes which will delight the kids – and bring out the child in all the adults. And best of all, to make use of all the pumpkin left over from carving our jack-o-lanterns, we’ve come up with some delicious cheesy pumpkin croquettes which have been a big hit in our generally pumpkin-phobic household. I hope you enjoy them too!
Cheesy Pumpkin Croquettes
Makes 24
Ingredients:
450g Pumpkin or butternut squash flesh, cubed
1 tbsp oil
350g Mashed potato
100g Cheddar Cheese, grated
Salt & Pepper
Nutmeg, grated
2 eggs, beaten
100g plain flour
150g breadcrumbs (panko are good)
Oil for deep frying (or shallow frying)
Sage leaves, deep fried (optional)
METHOD
Preheat the oven to 200C / gas mark 6.
Peel, deseed, and cube the pumpkin or squash. Toss in a tablespoon of oil, season and roast for 20-25 minutes until soft and tender.
Mash the pumpkin or squash and mix with the mashed potato. Season well with salt and pepper and a grating of nutmeg to taste. Leave to cool. When cool, add the coarsely grated cheese and check the seasoning.
Line a shallow tray or baking sheet with non-stick paper. Roll the pumpkin mix into long 1inch diameter logs or, even easier, put the mix in a disposable plastic piping bag and cut the end to make a 1″ diameter round. Pipe logs into the tray, spaced apart. Chill in the fridge for an hour or two until the mix has firmed up.
Take three bowls and fill one with the flour, one with the beaten egg, and the third with the breadcrumbs.
Cut the pumpkin logs into 2inch lengths. Take each log and toss in the flour, then dip in the egg and finally roll in the breadcrumbs until evenly covered.
Fill a deep pan no more than 1/3 full with a vegetable oil. Use a jam thermometer to heat the oil to 180C, or test with a cube of bread – it should turn golden brown in about 60 seconds. Fry the croquettes in batches (be careful not to overcrowd the pan or the temperature will fall), for 4-5 minutes until they are golden brown and cooked through. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper. (If you don’t want to deep fry, you can shallow fry the croquettes in a little oil on all sides. Alternatively, oven cook at 200C/ gas mark 6 until crisp and golden.)
As an optional garnish, take a handful of sage leaves and deep fry until crispy.
Serve the hot croquettes immediately, or make ahead, cool and reheat in a 200C oven for 8-12 minutes until crisp and heated through.
Franken-mummies
Makes 20
Ingredients:
10 Thin frankfurters
1 x 375g pack of ready-rolled shortcrust pastry
Black food colouring paste / edible pen
1 egg, beaten (for glaze)
Tomato ketchup, to serve
METHOD
Cut the pastry sheet into 1cm wide strips. Cut each frankfurter in half to make 20 pieces. Wrap each frankfurter in the pastry, leaving a gap at one end for the eyes.
Heat the oven to 190C.
Brush each franken-mummy with the beaten egg. Place the franken-mummies on a baking sheet and cook for around 15-20 minutes, until golden and the pastry is cooked.
Dip the end of a toothpick in the black colour paste and use to make eyes.
Bones, Broomsticks & Snakes
Makes 24
Ingredients:
350g plain flour
1/2 tsp mustard powder
Pinch cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp salt
180g butter, cubed
180g mature cheddar or Double Gloucester
90ml milk 1 egg, beaten, to glaze
METHOD
Whizz the flour, salt, cayenne, mustard powder and butter in a food processor for about 20 seconds until it resembles breadcrumbs. Add the cheese and milk, and process for another 30 seconds or so, until the dough just forms a ball.
Divide the dough into two and flatten each into a disc shape, wrap in clingfilm and chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 190C/ gas mark 6.
Lightly flour your worksurface and roll one of the discs of dough into a rectangle measuring approximately 16 x 28cm. Trim the edges to neaten and cut in half widthways.
To make the broomsticks, cut the first half into 12 even sized strips. Cut these into broomstick shapes, with a triangular broom at the bottom about one inch long and a narrower broom handle. Make a handful of cuts to form the brush of each broom. Carefully place them onto a baking tray lined with non-stick paper and brush with the beaten egg.
To make the bones, cut the second rectangle into 3x8cm rectangles. At each end, cut a 1cm slit in the centre. Squeeze the dough in the middle of the shape which will open out the slits at the end. Press these into round “knuckle” shapes and mould to crate bone shapes. Place on a baking tray lined with non-stick paper and brush with the beaten egg. Use the trimmings to make snakes. Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes until crisp and golden brown.
Carefully remove to a cooling rack and once cold, store in an airtight container.