Sicilian-style sweet-and-sour pumpkin or pumpkin sautéed in a skillet with onion and olives: a delicious vegetarian dish that can be an appetizer or a side dish reminiscent of the famous Sicilian caponata. I love autumn recipes and especially pumpkin recipes, so this seasonal vegetable at its best is always on my table. Today I want to tell you about my version of sweet-and-sour Sicilian pumpkin with onions, olives and raisins, a recipe I tasted once at a place serving traditional Sicilian cuisine and absolutely adored. I know many of you don’t like pumpkin — I know because almost everyone in my family (except me) can’t stand it! Buying pumpkin at my house means complaints because it’s the most disliked vegetable. Want to know something? The more they hate it, the more I love it, and insisting on buying it despite their protests forces me to turn it into increasingly tasty and appealing recipes like this one! The sweet-and-sour sautéed pumpkin, with onion, raisins and olives is an endlessly delicious sweet-and-sour treat, and I swear that once I served it, they cleaned the plate and even did the “scarpetta” (sopping up the sauce)! Ready to join me in the kitchen? Let’s go. If you’d like to stay updated on all my recipes, you can follow my Facebook page (here) and my Instagram profile (here).
See also:
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very inexpensive
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 3
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients to make sweet-and-sour pumpkin with onion and raisins
- 4 1/4 cups pumpkin (butternut or similar), peeled and cubed
- 1 white onion (large)
- to taste salt
- to taste extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp white wine vinegar
- 1.4 oz Taggiasca olives (jarred (in oil) or brined, pitted)
- 1 tbsp capers (rinsed if salted or drained if in oil)
- to taste fresh mint
- 1.5 tsp sugar
Tools
- Skillet
How to make sweet-and-sour pumpkin sautéed in a skillet with onion
For this recipe use a firm-fleshed type of pumpkin such as butternut, Delica or chestnut pumpkin. Avoid pumpkins that fall apart easily during cooking or are too watery.
Peel the pumpkin, remove the seeds and fibers and cut it into small cubes about 1/2 inch (about 3/8–5/8 in). Peel the onion, rinse and chop it, then put it in a skillet with a good splash of olive oil and let it flavor the oil. Add the pumpkin, season with salt and cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until the pumpkin is golden. Add the raisins, the rinsed/drained capers and the pitted olives (in oil or brine) and mix. Let everything cook on a fairly high heat for 2–3 minutes, tossing often in the skillet, then deglaze with the vinegar mixed with the sugar. Stir and once the vinegar has evaporated, turn off the heat. Let rest for 30–40 minutes, garnish with some fresh mint leaves and serve at room temperature or chilled.
The sweet-and-sour pumpkin prepared this way keeps well for up to 4 days if stored in an airtight container. If you want to make this dish even more appetizing, add some almond flakes or toasted pine nuts — it’s delicious!
From here you can return to the HOME page and discover new recipes!
