Pumpkin arrived in Italy after the discovery of the Americas, and Northern Italian Jews liked it so much that in Venice we called our favorite type “suca baruca” (holy pumpkin, from the Hebrew “baruch”).
When it made its first appearance, Venice in general -and Jewish Venice in particular – was a crossroad of peoples and cultures, in which countless examples of what we would now call “Fusion” cuisine came to life. These fritters, which include spices and candied fruit, are a perfect example!
This recipe was published in the Dining Section of the New York Times, Dec 21, 2011.
Ingredients
- 1 pound pumpkin or butternut squash, cleaned and diced small
- 2 eggs
- grated zest of 2 oranges
- ¾ cup of sugar and a pinch of salt
- 1 and ½ cups flour
- ½ package (8 gr) baking powder
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon, if liked
- 1/3 cup Raisins or Sultanas
- 1/3 cup pine nuts
- 1/3 cup candied etrog or lemon (if you don’t like it, skip & increase raisins & pine nuts)
- Olive oil or peanut oil for deep-frying, at least 3 cups or more
- Confectioner’s sugar for decorating
Directions
Plump the raisins in a cup of warm water. Chop the candied zest.
Place the diced squash in a large platter and cover almost completely, leaving a small opening for the steam to come out, and microwave on high for 10 minutes or until very tender.
Beat the eggs in a food processor with the sugar, salt, cinnamon, orange zest; add the cooked squash and process until smooth.
Drain and dry the raisins, and add them to the mix.
Transfer to a large bowl and gradually add the flour, sifted with the baking powder, using an electric or manual whisk.
In a frying pan, heat the oil to frying temperature (you can test it by dropping a small piece of bread in the oil: if bubbles form around the bread, the temperature is right). Take the batter with a tablespoon, filling it to about ½, and push the batter into the oil with your index finger or a second spoon. The batter should be quite wet and liquid and you won’t be able to shape it: this is normal! You will let it drop into the hot oil and it will puff up quickly, forming the fritters. You will also end up with drops, that would turn into crumbs. Don’t worry about these: you can just discard them every time you take out a ready batch of fritters… or you’ll end up eating them all, like I always do Fry in small batches until golden all over, turning to cook evenly. Remove with a slotted spoon and transfer onto a platter lined with several layers of paper towels.
Sprinkle with powdered sugar right before serving (serve warm).
