Roasted Pumpkin Taquitos in Marigold Tortillas and Ancho Chilli Crema.

I have very vivid memories of flowers of “cempasuchil” or marigolds in English being cut and carefully arranged by ladies in the flower market near the graveyards. Big trucks of flowers are brought in the earliest hours in the days ahead to Day of the Dead, I remember the scent very well and seeing how they would built special arrangements to be used to decorate altars and whole crypts during these celebrations.

This humble flower takes centre stage during this special day , and it has become a symbol of this Mexican holiday. Their beautiful bright yellow and orange colour is believed to guide the path back for the dead on November the 2nd, and for me that colour represents a happy occasion on a time when maybe sadness could take over a colour like this can bring a lot of comfort and warmth.

Marigolds are the main inspiration for this recipe, they are not only used for medicinal or ornamental purposes, once they are dried their beautiful golden yellow or orange petals retain their bright colour and can be used in cooking or to garnish drinks and dishes, they can be found in specialty stores or online.

You can use normal corn tortillas but if you want to go that extra mille make your own marigold tortillas, I truly believe you would love them as much as I do and it’s what makes this dish feel special, festive and worthy of an ofrenda.

The pumpkin filling makes use of the seasonal produce, roasted first to acquire all of that delicious caramelised flavour, happy almost Dia de los Muertos!

Makes about 18-20 crispy taquitos.

Pumpkin taquitos.

Ingredients:

1 medium size pumpkin or squash.

2 tsp olive oil.

Pinch of sea salt and black coarse pepper.

1 tbsp olive oil.

1 white onion, (finely diced).

1 garlic clove, (minced).

1 cup of fresh corn kernels.

2 tsp ground pasilla chilli.

1 tsp ground dried coriander.

1 cup of chicken or vegetable stock.

1 tbsp butter or margarine.

Sea salt and black pepper for seasoning.

1 cup of cilantro, (finely chopped).

20 small marigold tortillas, you can use shop bought corn tortillas to save time.

1 1/2 cups of rapeseed oil for frying.

Quick Ancho Chilli Crema.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup of creme fraiche.

1 tbsp ground ancho chilli or guajillo chilli.

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil.

1/2 lemon juice.

Maldon salt and black pepper to taste.

Method.

Preheat oven at 200 C.

Begin by roasting your pumpkin, for this cut your pumpkin in quarters, leave the skin and seeds on (you can remove them once cooked), rub them with olive oil, maldon salt and black coarse pepper. Place your pumpkin pieces over a lined baking tray, and bake for about 25 min (depending on your oven) or until the flesh of your pumpkin is cooked and soft.

Once is ready remove your tray from the oven , let it cool down, scoop out the seeds with a spoon and peel off the skin as well, transfer the cooked pumpkin flesh into a medium size bowl and mash roughly, set aside.

Heat up your oil in a pan, add your onions and garlic, fry slowly and then you may add the corn kernels, stir and season with the ground pasilla and coriander , add your chicken stock and cover your pan with a lid, let it simmer gently and until your corn kernels are cooked and most of the liquid is absorbed.

Remove your pan from the heat, and add your pumpkin mash while it’s still warm, add your butter and fresh coriander, stir and simply season with salt and black coarse pepper, taste and adjust seasoning if necessary, reserve.

Get your tortillas ready add a spoonful of your pumpkin mixture and fold in half, repeat the same procedure and place them side by side so they hold their shape.

Important: you need your tortillas to be warm and soft so that they can be folded in half without breaking ( ideally freshly made), if not you can reheat them a few seconds over a hot non stick pan before adding your filling.

Prepare a pan with your oil for frying, make sure is hot enough before using by throwing a little piece of tortilla and if it starts bubbling straight away, it means it’s ready!

Shallow fry your taquitos on each side until they get golden and crispy, remove them from the oil carefully and place them over kitchen paper to allow them to cool down and absorb any excess oil, repeat the same procedure with the rest of your taquitos.

Make your quick ancho chilli crema by mixing all of the ingredients into a small bowl, taste and adjust seasoning (salt and pepper) according to your preference.

Serve your taquitos on a pretty platter while they are still lovely and warm, with the ancho chilli crema on the side or drizzled in each taquito, equally you can garnish your taquitos with fresh salad leaves or coriander, as well as dried marigold petals to make it look extra festive.