Pumpkin Doughnuts (Chilean Picarones)

Chilean picarones (slightly different than Peruvian picarones) are soft, squash or pumpkin donuts that are soaked in an orange-infused syrup made with panela. It is said that buñuelos (fried dough) came to South America with the Spaniards. Each country then made their own version with their most common ingredients and changed their names too. 'Picarones', which means 'rascals' or 'naughty', was the name the Peruvians gave them. In Perú, picarones are made with sweet potatoes, squash, flour, anise seeds, sugar, and water. This dough is then cooked, cooled and fried. Picarones are then drizzled with panela syrup. The Chilean troops of the Liberating Expedition of Peru (1820-1824), after occupying Lima, would hang out near a church in the neighborhood of Malambo where Rosalía sold picarones. These became a very popular snack amongst the soldiers. Years later, Rosalía married Pedro Olivos, a Chilean soldier, and went back with him to live in Santiago, Chile where she continued selling picarones. Once in Chile, the recipe changed again.

2 cups squash or pumpkin purée
1/3 cup sugar
1 ¼ cups milk, at room temperature
2 tsp. active dry yeast
3 cups all-purpose flour, unbleached
3 cups vegetable oil, for frying

Syrup:
3 cups water
2 cups panela, shredded, dark muscovado sugar or dark brown sugar
1 orange, freshly zested
4 whole cloves
3 Tbsp. cornstarch

For The Dough:
In a big bowl, mix squash or pumpkin purée, sugar, milk and yeast. Add flour and mix well. The dough is very sticky. Cover the bowl and leave it to rise for an hour and a half at room temperature.

For The Syrup:
In a medium saucepan, add all the ingredients for the syrup. Cook over low heat, whisking constantly, for about 5 minutes. Keep warm.

To Make The Donuts:
Heat 3-4" of oil in a deep saucepan over medium/low heat.

Flour a ¼ measuring cup and scoop out some dough. Flour your hands, shape the dough into a ball. Using your thumbs, poke a hole through the center of the ball to create a donut shape.

Place donut in hot oil and fry for about 3 minutes on each side.

Remove the donut from the hot oil and drain on paper towels. Continue with the remaining dough.

Soak the fried donuts in the hot syrup.

Serve them while they are still warm.

Makes 19.