You may have decided to give up meat for Lent. Or, if you can’t do the entire 40 days, you can abstain on Fridays. Whatever the decision, you’ll need a few recipes to add to your arsenal to complement the fish and seafood ones that are already your go-to.

Thursday Food scoured Jamaican cookbooks, cooking blogs and popular culinary websites featuring Jamaican writers and chefs for recipes that use local produce in exciting ways. We share this week the final three recipes that will meet your needs in the absence of meat. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Fritters

Though from the kitchen of South African blogger and cookbook author Zorah Booley, this recipe for pumpkin fritters, by look and ingredients, will immediately resonate with Jamaicans.

Ingredients:

1 ½ cups of mashed pumpkin

1 egg

1 cup sieved self-raising flour

1/3 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

3 tablespoons brown sugar

2-3 tablespoons coconut oil

Granulated sugar and cinnamon powder for garnish

Method:

Step 1

Boil three-quarters of a pound of pumpkin until soft. Then strain it, removing all water. Remove the skin and mash. This is where you should measure the one and a half cups to make sure it is accurate.

Step 2

Put the pumpkin in a blender/mixer with the egg. Allow to mix well.

Step 3

Add the rest of the dry ingredients, and use a whisk to combine everything.

Step 4

Let the batter stand for about 10 minutes.

Step 5

Fry the fritters off in coconut oil.

Step 6

Garnish with sugar and powdered cinnamon.

Sautéed Okra and Tomatoes

Popular in Trinidad and Guyana, this quick and easy recipe is great as a side dish. Or, if you love okra, portion a bowl of it for a meal.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil

½ onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

2 cups tomatoes, diced

2 cups fresh okra cleaned and cut into one-inch slices

Salt

Fresh ground black pepper

Method:

Step 1

Add olive oil to a sauté pan over medium-low heat. Add in onions and sauté until tender. Add garlic.

Step 2

Add diced tomatoes and toss in okra. Stir to combine.

Step 3

Allow to simmer over medium-low heat for about 20 minutes until the okra has become tender.

Step 4

Toss in salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.

Yellow Yam Croquettes with Honey Escoveitch Sauce

These tasty croquettes from Jamaican blogger, recipe developer and food stylist Chantay Campbell Neil are a favourite with the readers of her blog Greedy Girl Cooks. You’ll love them, as well.

Ingredients:

For the boil:

1 lb yellow yam

1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon salt

For the mix:

1 egg

1 small onion shredded

½ teaspoon allspice

3 tablespoon butter

½ cup sour cream

1 teaspoon sugar

½ teaspoon salt (to taste)

¼ teaspoon black pepper

½ cup bread crumbs

For the fry:

Flour for dredging:

1 egg

2 cups milk

Panko breadcrumbs for dredging

For the sauce:

¼ cup honey

1 teaspoon vinegar

1 teaspoon olive oil

¼ teaspoon chopped Scotch bonnet pepper

¼ cup chopped scallion

¼ teaspoon salt

Method:

Step 1

First make the sauce. Whisk together all the ingredients for the sauce and set aside for the flavours to develop.

Step 2

Cook the yam. Peel and slice the yam and add to a pot of boiling water with the salt and sugar. Cook until the yam is tender and almost falling apart.

Step 3

Strain the yam from the cooking liquid. In a bowl combine yam, egg, shredded onion, allspice, butter, sour cream, salt, black pepper, sugar, and breadcrumbs. Mash together until smooth (the consistency of mashed potatoes). Using a spoon or ice-cream scoop form into balls, make sure to wet your hands so the mixture does not stick to your hands. Place on a prepared baking sheet and place in the freezer to set for 15 to 20 minutes.

Step 4

Heat the oil to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Beat together the eggs and milk. Place the balls in the flour and completely coat. Remove from flour, shake off the excess and dip in the egg milk mixture. Roll in the panko bread crumbs after the egg mixture and coat completely. Fry in the hot oil until golden brown and crispy.

Step 5

Serve with the dipping sauce.