Pumpkin, Ricotta, and Speck Bites

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PRESENTATION

Autumn is upon us, and with the arrival of the first chilly days, we hunt for tasty ideas to bring to the table featuring the most delicious fruits of the season, like pumpkin. Thus, our pumpkin, ricotta, and speck bites were born, appetizing nuggets made with a tantalizingly flavorful dough, served as an appetizer, even as finger food for a buffet. Outside, a crunchy breading, essential in a good fry, inside a soft filling that will tantalize your taste buds. Like cherries, you can't stop at one, so prepare plenty because we're sure there won't be any leftovers!

INGREDIENTS

Delica pumpkin 0.6 lb (250 g) - to clean
Potatoes 8.8 oz (250 g)
Cow's milk ricotta cheese 2.5 oz (75 g)
Speck 1.8 oz (50 g)
Pecorino Romano PDO cheese 1.2 oz (35 g) - to grate
Sage 3 leaves
Cinnamon powder ¾ tsp
Fine salt to taste
Black pepper to taste
for breading and frying
High-oleic sunflower seed oil 4 ¼ cups (1 l) - for frying
Eggs 2
Breadcrumbs to taste
for the sauce
Greek yogurt to taste
Lime peel to taste
Preparation

How to prepare Pumpkin, Ricotta, and Speck Bites

To prepare Pumpkin, Ricotta, and Speck Bites, start with the potatoes, place them in a pot filled with water 1, turn on the stove and, from the moment it boils, count about 30-40 minutes. In the meantime, remove the seeds from the pumpkin, cut into thin slices of about 1/2 inch (1 cm) thick 2, and place inside a steamer 3. Set it over the pot with the potatoes and cook for about 20-25 minutes: use a fork to test for doneness.

Remove the skin from the pumpkin 4 and mash it with a potato masher 5, retrieve the potatoes and mash them in the same way 6. Let them cool slightly.

In the meantime, remove the rind from the speck if there is any, slice thinly to a couple of mm thick 7, then cut into strips. Sauté them over high heat in a non-stick pan 8 until golden 9.

Chop the speck with a knife 10. At this point, still using the potato masher, refine the ricotta in the bowl with pumpkin and potatoes, add the speck crumbs 11 and grated pecorino cheese 12.

Also chop the sage with a knife 13, add it to the bowl 14 with salt, pepper, and ground cinnamon. Knead the mixture by hand 15, it will become compact but a bit soft.

Moisten your hands and form small bites of about 0.5 oz (15 grams) each 16, this will yield around forty pieces. As you go along, place them on a tray lined with parchment paper and leave to rest in the refrigerator for an hour 17. After the time has elapsed, heat the oil to 320-340°F (160-170°C) and pass the bites first in beaten eggs 18

and then in breadcrumbs 19. Place them back on the tray 20. Immerse a few pieces at a time in the hot oil until golden 21, 2-3 minutes will be enough for them to be golden on the outside and soft inside.

Drain 22 on absorbent paper 23 and continue with all the others. Your pumpkin, ricotta, and speck bites are ready 24 to be enjoyed hot, accompanied by Greek yogurt flavored with grated lime zest.

Storage

It is recommended to consume the pumpkin, ricotta, and speck bites immediately. They can be stored in the refrigerator for a couple of days or frozen raw: in this case, it will be sufficient to follow the described procedure, taking care to cook at a slightly lower temperature and for a bit longer.

Tip

The absence of eggs will ensure that the dough remains soft even after cooking, but for this, it is essential to rest in the refrigerator. The same goes for the oil, which must be very hot. You can double coat if you prefer an extra crispy surface. Cinnamon enriches the flavor, making it pleasantly sweet, but you can substitute it with nutmeg if you don't like it.

For the translation of some texts, artificial intelligence tools may have been used.