An excellent appetizer option for a romantic dinner is pumpkin hearts with shrimp. They are prepared quite simply, but they turn out tasty, healthy and delicious in taste. As the name implies, we need pumpkin pulp as the basis of the snack. You can use both fresh and frozen berries, peeled and seeds. It is important that the pumpkin is sweet and soft. Therefore, it is better to use just such varieties.
Pumpkin is considered quite a useful product. It is rich in vegetable fiber, which removes toxins from the body. In addition, it contains a high concentration of antioxidants that reduce the effects of oxidative stress and restore the activity of detoxifying enzymes. Carving a pumpkin in the shape of hearts is not difficult. You can use both special metal molds and a regular knife and cardboard mold. If necessary, the shape can be cut out yourself. You only need thick cardboard.
Features of cooking pumpkin hearts with shrimp
Our dish belongs to the category of snacks. Therefore, it should be literally a couple of bites. We will complement the pumpkin with a delicate cream and shrimp. To prepare the cream, we need classic curd cheese, that is, without additives, or with herbs, cucumber, garlic. All components are crushed and mixed. If the cream is thick, then vegetable oil and lemon juice can be included in its composition.
Our appetizer is prepared with shrimp. They must be large and must be cleaned. You can leave only the tail for piquancy. Prawns are always fresh frozen. They are very tasty and fragrant. Shrimp will act as a protein component that saturates. Seafood protein is easily absorbed by the body, does not cause a feeling of heaviness.
Ingredients:
- Pumpkin pulp – 300 g;
- Cucumber – 1 pc.;
- Curd cheese – 150 g;
- Garlic – 2 cloves;
- Lemon juice – 1 tsp;
- Vegetable oil – 2 tablespoons;
- Argentine shrimp – 10 pcs.;
- Salt, ground black pepper – to taste.
Cooking method:
- We cut the pumpkin pulp 1 cm thick. Cut out hearts from the pieces, as indicated above;
- We spread the pulp on a baking sheet, slightly greased with vegetable oil. We send it to the oven preheated to 200 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Pumpkin should become soft;
- We clean the shrimp from the shells, remove the intestinal vein from them, then rinse and dry with a paper towel;
- In a frying pan, heat the butter, fry the chopped garlic in it along with the seafood for just a couple of minutes. The shrimp should turn white. Let them cool down;
- Peel the cucumber, cut into small cubes, mix with garlic passed through a press, curd cheese, lemon juice and oil in which the shrimp were fried. Mix the resulting cream until smooth and spread with a culinary bag on the pumpkin;
- Put 1 shrimp on the cream. Snacks are served at the table. If she is preparing for a buffet table, then you can serve an appetizer on a lettuce leaf so that it is convenient to eat.
