Butternut, Peanut, Chilli and Coconut Fritters by Kirsten Gilmour of the Mountain Café in Aviemore

These fragrant fritters are great as a light meal, or as part of a picnic – give them a squeeze of fresh lime juice and some flaked coconut and chopped fresh coriander when serving.

Kirsten Gilmour is the owner and head chef at Aviemore’s Mountain Café. This recipe comes from her new book, The Mountain Café Cookbook: a Kiwi in the Cairngorms, which is published by Kitchen Press Publishing priced at £20.

For more info visit http://mountaincafe-aviemore.co.uk

The Mountain Café has been shortlisted for the ‘Best Eatery’ category at the Highlands & Islands Food & Drink Awards. With some of the best natural produce in the world, the Awards showcase the wide range of food and drink products in the region and the equally diverse profile of businesses, from internationally renowned companies to innovative producers.

For more information visit http://www.hifoodanddrinkawards.com

Ingredients: Serves 4–6

500g butternut squash (peeled, deseeded and cut into 2cm cubes)

1 tbsp olive oil

2 garlic cloves (finely chopped)

1 small red chilli (de-seeded and finely chopped)

2 handfuls coriander (stalks removed, leaves finely chopped)

1 bunch spring onions (finely chopped)

130g crunchy peanut butter

40g desiccated coconut

zest of 2 limes

80g ground almonds

4 large eggs

100g self-raising flour

salt

cracked black pepper

Method:

1. Preheat your oven to 200ºC (180º fan).

2. Put your butternut squash in a roasting tray and drizzle with a tablespoon of the olive oil.

3. Season with salt and pepper and roast for 20 minutes until the squash is tender enough to mash but not browned.

4. Roughly mash it in the tray, then scrape it into a large mixing bowl with the garlic, chilli, coriander, spring onion, peanut butter, coconut, lime zest, ground almonds and eggs. Mix together until you have a smooth batter, then add the flour and season well to taste.

5. Heat the remaining olive oil in a non-stick frying pan over a medium heat. Once it’s good and hot, spoon your batter into the pan – we make our fritters about 8cm in diameter. Cook on either side until fluffy and cooked through in the middle and golden brown and crisp on the outside – about seven minutes on each side should do it. Serve immediately, with some salad and a big glass of chilled wine.

In association with Taste Communications.

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