I now have a few bags of frozen pumpkin puree on hand and this past weekend I made some pumpkin fritters. These fritters are a riff on a Greek fave, “kolokithokeftedes” or, zucchini fritters. Pumpkins are referred to as “yellow squash’ in Greek and are related to the abundant summer vegetable, the zucchini.

In both cases, the vegetable must be free of as much excess liquid as possible for a successful fritter. The most common shape of these fritters is like a hamburger patty but you may rolls these up into meatballs, if that turns your crank. These patties make for a wonderful meze or appetizer, a snack or part of a vegetarian or Lenten table. Greek Lent is fast approaching.

Zucchini fritters are usually shallow fried in oil but in this instance I’m baking them off in the oven. I discovered this method while flipping through Three Greek Sisters cookbook. The sisters share their family recipes, wrote all the copy of the book, photographed and self-published – that’s a girl power!

The Three Greek Sisters cookbook has a recipe for baked pumpkin fritters and I was immediately drawn to the method. There’s no frying, a huge reduction in oil use, less time to prepare and overall, a healthier fritter. There’s no baking powder in these, and although the Sisters’ recipe calls for some breadcrumb in the mix, I used none. I had squeezed almost all the water out of the pumpkin puree.

Beyond the usual egg as the binder, what would hold these fritters together you might ask? Potatoes. Par-boiled potatoes. I used Russet potatoes (starchy) and I boiled the potatoes with their skins on – retaining much of the starch needed for binding and most of it’s nutrients.

Flavourings for the pumpkin fritters were focused on my family’s favourites: chopped fresh dill, some mint and scallions. Add the crumbled Feta cheese and you have a balanced fritter with sweet pumpkin, tart Feta and the brightness of fresh dill.

I’m NOT frying Kolokithokeftedes anymore. This baked method is fantastic, saves time and it’s far healthier without sacrificing taste. Works for me!

Pumpkin Fritters

(makes 12-14)

1 large Russet potato, skin on

3 cups of cooked pumpkin puree (became 2 cups when squeezed of excess water)

4 scallions, chopped

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 egg

2 Tbsp. chopped fresh mint (1 Tbsp. if dry)

1/2 cup chopped fresh dill

1 cup of Feta cheese, crumbled

1/2 tsp. black pepper

bread crumbs (optional)

olive oil for brushing/greasing pan

Pre-heated 425F oven

1. Place your cooked pumpkin puree in a colander (with a bowl underneath) and place in the fridge over night. Place a handful of pumpkin inside a cotton tea towel and wring out as much liquid as possible. Place in large bowl and repeat with remaining pumpkin puree.
2. In the meantime, place a medium pot of water on your stove-top and when it comes to a boil, add some salt and carefully drop your potato in. Lower the heat to medium and parboil the potato for about 10-12 minutes. Remove the potato and place in a bowl with cold/iced water. As soon as it’s cool enough to handle, peel the skin off with the dull side of a knife. Now coarsely grate the potato into bowl with the pumpkin.
3. In a small skillet, add a couple of turns of olive oil add your scallions and garlic into a skillet over medium heat. Sweat the scallions & garlic for about 5-7 minutes. Allow to cool before adding into the bowl with the pumpkin.
4. Add the cooled scallion mixture, chopped herbs, egg, grated potato, crumbled Feta , black pepper and mix with a spatula. If the mixture is too coarse, get your hands in there and mix them well. If the mixture is too dry, add a little olive oil and if the mixture is too wet, add some bread crumbs. Mix again.
5. Grab a small handful of the pumpkin mixture in your hand and roll into a ball and then flatten into a patty. Place the patty on a baking tray that’s been greased with olive oil. Make the remaining pumpkin mixture into patties.
6. Brush the tops of the fritters with olive oil and set the back rack to the third position from the top of the oven. Place the baking tray in your pre-heated oven for ten minutes. Flip the patties and bake for another 1o minutes. Serve warm.
7. Pair with a Gaia Notios white from Nemea.

If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at  http://kalofagas.ca then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at truenorth67 AT gmail DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author.

© 2007-2010 Peter Minakis

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© 2010, Peter Minakis. All rights reserved. If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://kalofagas.ca then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at truenorth67 AT gmail DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author.

Canadian Thanksgiving occurs in October (fell on Oct12th this year) and one of the dishes I wish to share with you is this homemade pumpkin pie. You have already planned out your dessert or you’re just going to go out and buy one.

Consider this pumpkin pie recipe if you’re still looking for one. It’s cheap, it’s easy and it’s all homemade…even the pie crust! Although the pumpkin filling and pie crust are wonderful, the crowning glory is all in the delicious maple whipped cream!

For me, pumpkin (or squash) always has to appear on my Thanksgiving table. This pumpkin pie could make a nice addition to your table.

I would like to wish my American friends a restful Thanksgiving, filled with family and friends and may all your kitchen creations be a success, little stress, delicious and memorable.

Nothing wrong with a little humour on a busy Thanksgiving Day

Pumpkin Pie

(recipe provided by Sandra Shields)

Shortcrust Pastry

1 1/2 cups of all purpose flour

1/2 tsp. of salt

1/2 cup of cold butter, cut into 8 pieces

3 Tbsp. of cold water

1 tsp. of lemon juice

Pumpkin Pie Filling

1 can (400ml) cooked pumpkin puree (not pie filling)

175ml (3/4cup) packed dark brown sugar

1 tsp. of ground cinnamon

3/4 tsp ground ginger

1/4 tsp. ground cloves

1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp. salt

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1/2 cup light cream

3/4 cup 2% milk, scalded

Turkey design recipe

2 1/2 Tbsp. sour cream

1 1/2 tsp. of milk

Maple Whipped Cream

2 cups of whipping cream

1-2 Tbsp. pure maple syrup

Pre-heated 350F oven

1. Combine flour and salt. Cut in butter using your hands or a pastry cutter until mixture resembles small peas. Sprinkle over water and lemon juice and gather flour into a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Unwrap and place on a floured board. Roll out to desired size. Makes enough for one  9 or 10-inch single crust pie.
2. Carefully transfer your pie crust over your baking dish and press the crust down on the and along the perimeter of the baking dish. Using your rolling pin, roll over the rim of the pie to trim-off excess pastry.
3. Place some aluminum foil over the pastry and cover with beans. Bake in a preheated 375F oven (bottom rack) for 10 minutes. Remove the foil and poke the pie shell’s bottom with a fork (prevent the crust from puffing) and bake for another 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and reserve.
4. Turn your oven down to 350F. In a medium-sized bowl, mix the pumpkin, brown sugar, spices and salt together. Add the beaten eggs and mix together until well blended. Add the cream and mix well. Now stir-in your scalded milk until just blended. Pour the pumpkin pie filling into the baked pastry shell.
5. Bake in your pre-heated 350F oven for 45-50 minutes (middle should still jiggle a bit). Allow to for at least 5-6 hours or in the fridge overnight.
6. Before serving, mix the whipping cream and maple syrup with your hand mixer. Start on a low speed and work your way up to high. Mix until you have stiff peaks. Store covered in fridge until needed.
7. Before serving your pie, mix the sour cream with the milk in a small bowl until smooth. Pour the mixture into a zip-lock bag and snip off a small hole in one corner of the bag. Pipe out the mixture to make your turkey design.
8. Serve eat slice of pumpkin pie with a dollop of maple whipped cream.

If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at  http://kalofagas.ca then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at truenorth67 AT gmail DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author.

© 2007-2009 Peter Minakis

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© 2009 – 2010, Peter Minakis. All rights reserved. If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://kalofagas.ca then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at truenorth67 AT gmail DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author.

Pumpkins are everywhere, in the market, in front of peoples’ homes and of course, in the kitchen.

Earlier this month us Canadians celebrated Thanksgiving and I made a pumpkin pie. I’ve bought ready-made pies from the supermarket but I wanted to try my hand at the real-deal.

I used pumpkin puree (store bought) and made this delicious, easy to make pie, complete with an “in your face” drawing to boot! However, this post isn’t about pumpkin pie but the pumpkin loaf that was made with the leftover puree (recipe to come).

Lori of The Recipe Girl shared her pumpkin loaf and through sheer good timing and fate, her recipe landed on my lap. Lori’s site has a good array of sweet and savory dishes and she often goes beyond her comfort zone and cooks up theme nights focusing on different ethnic cuisines.

Lori’s pumpkin loaf is easy and it’s a wonderful accompaniment to a coffee or just as a plain, slightly decadent snack. It’s moist, it’s quick, it tastes great and if you use mini-loaf forms like I did, great for little gifts.

Lori’s original recipe calls for 45 minutes for baking but my loaf pans were probably the equivalent of 2 muffins and a bit. My pumpkin loaves took a mere 25 minutes. Just be careful with your baking times if using smaller forms.

I just got a big pumpkin from some family friends and I will be surely making more pumpkin bread, some sweet and savory pies from the Greek side things where pumpkin and homemade phyllo meet.

See you next month tomorrow.

If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at  http://kalofagas.ca then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at truenorth67 AT gmail DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author.

© 2007-2009 Peter Minakis

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© 2009, Peter Minakis. All rights reserved. If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://kalofagas.ca then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at truenorth67 AT gmail DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author.