Fritters and chocolate cake: Thomasina Miers’ recipes for cooking with pumpkin

It 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!

Pumpkin and carrot fritters with green chilli and coriander relish (pictured top)

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 pepper, and add more chilli, if need be, or more lime juice for acidity.

Heat 2cm of neutral oil in a medium pan until hot. Scoop out rounded dessertspoons of the pumpkin mixture and, using your hands, shape them into round patties; wet your hands with cold water to stop the mix sticking. Working in batches, slide the patties into the hot oil and fry for a few minutes on each side, until golden and crisp. Keep the cooked fritters in a warm oven while you fry the rest.

Serve the hot fritters with the relish and scoops of yoghurt on the side.

Pumpkin, cardamom and dark chocolate slice

Part blondie, part sponge cake, these delicious slices are full of sweet nuttiness from the squash, the gentle scent of cardamom and rich chunks of dark chocolate that melt in the mouth.

Prep 10 min
Cook 1 hr 20 min
Serves 9

250g squash or pumpkin (delica, crown prince, butternut would all work), or 200g pumpkin puree
200g unsalted butter
200g soft brown sugar
2 large eggs
250g plain flour, or a mix of plain and emmer, einkorn or spelt
2 tsp baking powder
Fine sea salt
12 green cardamom pods, bashed to open and seeds crushed
100g dark chocolate, roughly chopped
Flaky sea salt
Icing sugar and ground cinnamon, to serve

Heat the oven to 180C fan (160C fan)/350F/gas 4 and line a 20cm square baking tin with greaseproof paper.

Cut the pumpkin/squash into a couple of wedges, remove and discard the seeds, then arrange the wedges on a baking tray. Sprinkle with a few teaspoons of water, then roast for 25-30 minutes, until completely soft. Scoop the flesh into a bowl, then mash with a fork until mostly smooth – don’t worry about any small lumps here or there, because they add a pleasing texture to the slices. You want 200g cooked flesh.

Melt the butter in a small pan and cook over a medium heat until the solids begin to brown and toast. Once smelling nutty and delicious, take off the heat and add the sugar, stirring until it melts. Tip the brown butter mix into a large bowl, add the cooled pumpkin puree and stir to combine. Whisk in the eggs one at a time, until smooth.

Sieve the flour and baking powder into a second bowl, season with a generous pinch of fine sea salt and add the ground cardamom seeds. Gently stir half the dry ingredients into the wet, then stir in the rest of the flour mix. Stir in the chopped chocolate, making sure there are no pockets of flour remaining, then pour into the prepared tin. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until springy to the touch.

When the tin comes out of the oven, sprinkle over some flaky sea salt, then leave to cool completely. Remove from the tin and cut into squares. If you like, dust the slices with a little icing sugar scented with a pinch of cinnamon to serve.