Cut the pumpkin in half, scoop out the inside seeds etc so you’re left only with the flesh.

On a baking sheet roast in the oven at 180°C until soft enough that they collapse a little when pressed with a fork.

If you’re lucky, you should be able to peel the skin off very easily.

Take the pumpkin flesh and press through a colander. You want to remove as much moisture as possible to make the shaping stage easier. I was squeezing it between my hands at points. Pumpkin holds an incredible amount of water.

If you can source a cured squash variety (eg. delica) they contain much less moisture and you will find this much easier than I did!

Heat the milk in a saucepan. In another pan add the butter and once melted stir through the pumpkin purée and jalapeños for a minute or so.

Add the warm milk to the pan with the flour and the purée and stir until smooth. It will thicken up nicely. Once thickened pour the mixture onto a plate and put it in the fridge to set. Jose’s recipe suggests at least an hour. I left mine even longer (overnight).

Now it’s time to shape the croquettes. Sadly I didn’t take photos of this bit. Grab a small amount of the mix, roll into a short but chunky sausage. Roll it in flour, then an egg wash and finally breadcrumbs. Then deep fry in hot hot oil.