Today, a recipe to enjoy a fall vegetable even in spring: sweet and sour pumpkin preserve! An amazing side dish.
This is a very easy recipe to prepare and comes in handy during those last-minute dinners when we don’t know what side dish to offer our guests. Pumpkin is one of my favorite vegetables during fall, it has extraordinary versatility and is eco-friendly because, in some varieties, nothing goes to waste. For example, the delicata squash has all edible parts. Made spiced in the oven you can even eat the skin, while seeds of all pumpkin varieties can be roasted to make fun snacks to munch on while preparing some recipes.
For this preparation, I used a butternut squash, also known as smooth violin, which has a smooth, thin orange skin, orange flesh, compact yet tender, with a slightly sweet taste. It’s perfect for making pasta sauces, jams, creams, and soups.
The sweet and sour pumpkin preserve is flavored with thin slices of garlic, parsley, and chili pepper, blanched in white wine vinegar with sugar and salt that create the sweet and sour part.
Don’t forget to put a red little bow around the jar to make wonderful Christmas gifts, you can prepare a nice basket with lots of delicacies made by you such as jujubes with grappa, chestnuts with brandy, an eggplant and ginger compote, or syrupy plums. There’s no more thoughtful gift than something handmade with love.
Let’s see together, step by step, how to make this recipe.
To receive the free recipe of the day
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Cheap
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 2 jars of 10 oz
- Cooking methods: Boiling
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Fall, Winter
Ingredients for the Sweet and Sour Pumpkin
- 2 cups pumpkin (cleaned)
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup white wine vinegar
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 2 tsp fine salt
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 bunch parsley
- 1 chili peppers
- to taste olive oil
Tools
- 1 Scale
- 1 Saucepan
- 2 Jars
- 1 Knife
- 1 Cutting Board
- 1 Slotted Spoon
Let’s Start!
Take the pumpkin and remove the skin and fibers, then cut it into slices about 3/4 inch thick, and from these make cubes. Try to make them roughly equal in size to ensure even cooking.
In a saucepan, put the water, sugar, and salt, stir and bring to a boil. At this point, add the pumpkin cubes and cook for 5 minutes.
When the pumpkin is ready, drain it with a slotted spoon and place it on a clean cloth to drain and cool.
Meanwhile, prepare the aromas to add to our pumpkin preserve. On a cutting board, slice the peeled garlic clove into thin slices, then chop the parsley and finally cut the chili pepper.
In a bowl, put the cooled pumpkin, the previously chopped aromas, and 3 tbsp of olive oil, then mix.
Take the sterilized jars and with the help of a spoon, fill them with pumpkin, making sure to include the aromas, press lightly with your hands to prevent air spaces, add more pumpkin if necessary, and cover with olive oil.
Let it settle for a while, check if more oil is needed to cover the pumpkin well, then close with a tightly screwed lid.
Add a nice ribbon and there you go, but first take a photo, post it on social media tagging me (una riccia che pasticcia instagram and facebook) and let me know who you will gift these delights to!
A Curly Girl Suggests
The sweet and sour pumpkin preserve can be consumed up to 5 months after its preparation, and I recommend waiting at least a week before eating it so that the aromas fully develop their flavors, but I’ll admit I ate some right away, and it was divine!
FAQ (Questions and Answers)
How to sterilize jars?
To sterilize the jars, wash them and then boil them in a pot with high sides for 20 minutes, then drain them on a clean cloth and let them dry.
To sterilize the jars, wash them and then boil them in a pot with high sides for 20 minutes, then drain them on a clean cloth and let them dry.
Is there only pot sterilization?
No, you can also sterilize the jars in the oven at 250°F for 5 minutes, in the dishwasher with the high temperature program, or in the microwave.
No, you can also sterilize the jars in the oven at 250°F for 5 minutes, in the dishwasher with the high temperature program, or in the microwave.
