How to make sweet and sour pumpkin in oil, spiced and tasty to have it always ready to enjoy in all its goodness. Today we stock up on pumpkin, preserved in oil, sweet and sour or classic, just omit only one ingredient, which is sugar, and in any case it will be delicious. Let’s see together how to prepare this preserve safely, without risks. The fundamental step for preserving foods in oil is the vinegar bath, this indeed allows for perfect preservation along with the other ingredients, oil, and salt, without the need for vacuum-sealing the jars, something that we can always do if we want greater safety and long-term preservability of our foods in oil. Then I would say let’s get straight to the preparation of the recipe, which is quick and really great.
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very economical
- Rest time: 10 Minutes
- Preparation time: 30 Minutes
- Portions: 4 jars
- Cooking methods: Boiling
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Autumn, Winter
Ingredients for Pumpkin in Oil
- 2.2 lbs cleaned pumpkin
- 2.1 cups water
- 2.1 cups white wine vinegar
- 2 tsps sugar (optional)
- 1 tsp salt (scant)
- 2 cloves garlic
- 3 chili peppers
- 1 sprig rosemary
- to taste sunflower seed oil
- to taste olive oil
Tools to Prepare Pumpkin in Oil with Garlic, Chili Pepper, and Rosemary
- 1 Pot
- 1 Colander
- 1 Tea towel
- 1 Cutting board
- 1 Knife
- 3 Jars
- 1 Teaspoon
- 1 Spoon
- 1 Vegetable peeler
Steps to Prepare Sweet and Sour or Classic Pumpkin in Oil
Let’s start by preparing the pumpkin, cutting it, cleaning it well inside with a spoon. We don’t throw away the seeds but prepare a quick and healthy snack – roasted salted pumpkin seeds. Slice the pumpkin into thin slices, about 1/4 inch thick. Peel the slices with a vegetable peeler. Then cut the slices into shorter pieces about 2 inches long.
Bring a pot of vinegar with water, salt, and sugar to a boil if you want to give a sweet and sour taste, otherwise avoid the sugar. Once boiling, add the pumpkin, cook for 4-5 minutes from boiling.
Drain and let it dry on a clean tea towel, distributing it well to dry thoroughly.
Meanwhile, sterilize the jars, I do it quickly in the microwave, the lids in a pot. How to sterilize jars.
Prepare the seasoning with chopped garlic and chili peppers and some rosemary leaves, passing them quickly in the pumpkin’s cooking water with vinegar, in a strainer for added safety.
When the pumpkin is dry, start jarring, using tongs to place the pumpkin inside well, or you can work with well-washed and dried hands. At the bottom of the jars, put a few grains of coarse salt, then start adding the pumpkin, halfway through adding some of the aroma and continue filling the jars, adding a bit more spices on top. Proceed this way until complete.
Finally, cover the pumpkin in the jars with oil, using either olive oil or sunflower seed oil. Wait for the oil to settle well at the bottom of the jar and top up if necessary. Then we can close our jars and store them in the dark in the pantry. Let them rest for a few weeks before enjoying our pumpkin in oil, sweet and sour or classic without sugar.
For larger quantities, obviously, more water, vinegar, salt, and sugar will be needed, always maintaining the same proportions.
Store the jars in a dark, cool place, and this way the pumpkin in oil can be preserved for over a year.
Store the jars in a dark, cool place, and this way the pumpkin in oil can be preserved for over a year.
