Buñuelos de calabaza

Step 1: Put 14 oz pumpkin in a pan, just cover with water and simmer until a knife slides through with no resistance. Drain very well in a sieve for 10 minutes, then mash to a smooth purée and let it cool until just warm to the touch.

Step 2: Whisk ½ oz fresh yeast into ½ cup warm water until dissolved. In a large bowl mix 10 ½ oz plain flour and ½ tsp salt (and the orange zest, if using), then add the warm pumpkin purée and the yeast water.

Step 3: Beat with a wooden spoon or your hand for 5 minutes, slapping the dough against the side of the bowl, until it turns elastic and pulls away in long strings. It should be very soft and sticky; only add a spoonful more flour if it pours like batter.

Step 4: Cover and leave in a warm place until doubled and full of bubbles, about 1 to 1½ hours.

Step 5: Heat 4 ¼ cups sunflower oil in a deep, heavy pan to 350°F, filled no more than a third full. A cube of bread should turn golden in about 40 seconds.

Step 6: Wet your hands, pinch off a walnut-sized piece of dough, stretch it into a flat disc and push your thumb through the middle to make a ring. Slide it gently into the oil, away from you. Fry 3 or 4 at a time.

Step 7: Fry for about 1 minute a side, turning with a skewer through the hole, until puffed, deep golden and crisp. Lift out and drain on kitchen paper; if they brown in under 30 seconds, the oil is too hot and the middle will stay raw.

Step 8: Toss the warm buñuelos in 2 ⅞ oz caster sugar and serve straight away, with hot chocolate for dipping. Let the oil cool completely before you move the pan.