Gerimum cakes
Gerimum cakes are a speciality from northern Portugal
Ingredients:
1 Gerimum pumpkin
1 whole egg
1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon of sugar
1 teaspoon of salt
1 glass of port wine
250-400 g honey
Preparation:
Gerimums are large, oblong pumpkins found all around the Portuguese province of Minho. They have greenish skin and very colourful orange flesh. A good alternative to them are the large orange pumpkins found in most Chinese food stores. The traditional pumpkin used in the UK is too insipid and watery to be used in this recipe. It has been suggested that a butternut pumpkin might do well, as this is drier and has more flavour. We've never tried it, however.
First peel pieces of pumpkin and boil these in water until cooked. Leave these to cool; then strain them through a jelly bag or cotton cloth (a clean kitchen towel will do) to eliminate excess water. Turn the resulting pulp into a mixing bowl and add the beaten egg and yolk, the sugar, the salt and the port. Then shape the mixture into small balls and dust these with flour. Fry the balls in vegetable oil, using a fork to flatten them. Place the cakes in a deep serving dish and drizzle with a generous amount of honey. If the cakes absorb all the honey, drizzle a bit more on to them.
Photograph (c)2008 Fernanda Quinta
