Pumpkin pancakes on Curacao

Last Saturday I hosted the first ever Farm-to-Table workshops for kids on Curacao. On the grounds of Hofi Cas Cora we set up some picnic benches, a two plate stove and a whole lot of goodies to cook up a storm.

The surroundings were wonderful, almost surreal, as this is part of my big dream come true. The field on which hofi grows their own crops were looking good and well maintained, creating a wonderful setting for a quick walk about with the kids.

 

Once we explored the field and the crops; we spoke about okra, pumpkin, peppers and papaya, we took some with us to the cooking station and started prepping the ingredients for the ever so lovely arepa di pampuna. Although this might not be the way your granny traditionally made the pumpkin pancakes, this version surely was ‘da bomb’ at the workshops.
The mango- papaya sauce gives the sweet pancake a lovely fresh and fruity twist.

Try the pancakes at home:
What you’ll need for a whole lot of pancakes (±20)
– 500 grams pumpkin of your choice (we used butternuts for their intense orange colour and lovely natural sweet taste)
– 1 cinnamon stick
– 1/2 cup milk
– 3 tablespoon sugar
– 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
– 2 eggs
– 1 cup flour
– 1 teaspoon baking powder
– 1 cup raisins (optional)

Peel and dice the pumpkin. Put the pumpkin in a pan with the cinnamon, some salt and enough water to cover the pumpkin bring to a boil and cook until pumpkin is soft. Drain the water from the pan and carefully remove the cinnamon. Set aside.

Mix the milk, sugar, vanilla extract and egg in a bowl; whisk is together and set aside. Put the flour and baking powder in another bowl and whisk through the milk mixture.

Add the pumpkin and raisins (optional) and give it another good stir.

Heat up a frying pan on medium heat, add a bit of vegetable oil and scoop 1 heaped tablespoon of pancake mix into the pan. Once the pancake starts to go a bit ‘dry’ on top it’s ready to flip. Just a few more seconds on that side and your pumpkin pancake is ready!

Be sure to try it with this lovely fruit sauce as a syrup alternative.

This is what you’ll need for the fresh mango-papaya sauce:
– 1 mango, peeled and diced
– 1/2 papaya, peeled and diced
– 1 tablespoon brown sugar
– 1 splash water
– Juice of 1/2 lime

Peel and dice the mango and papaya. Put the fruits in a saucepan; add the sugar and a dash of water just covering the bottom of the pan, preventing the fruits to stick to the base. Put the pan on the stove, over medium heat and bring to a boil for about 5 minutes. Give it a good stir from time to time. Remove the pan from the heat and leave it to cool for a few minutes.

Take a fine sieve, place it on top of a bowl and add your cooked fruits to the sieve. Gently squash the fruits in the sieve with a wooden spoon so that all the juice goes through and the fruit bits stay behind.
Give the sauce a taste; you might want to add some lime-juice. Pour the sauce into a container and leave to cool.