Autumn is pumpkin time. We love it as a soup, as a substitute for baked potato, stuffed and in many other variants. If you want to try something different, you can also try pickling it. We tell you our favorite recipe to prepare this bittersweet temptation.
With only a few ingredients such as vinegar, sugar, star anise and ginger, pumpkin becomes a real star to keep in the pantry. We are going to explain a delicious recipe to pickle pumpkin.
While some are still mourning the summer that has just ended, others are looking forward to a golden autumn. Gourmets in particular who love chestnuts prepared in all their versions, beets, all varieties of apples and classic pumpkin recipes will see pickled pumpkin open a new perspective and a surprising flavor.
BITTERSWEET PUMPKIN TO ENRICH YOUR DISHES
What many connoisseurs do not know is that pumpkin can also be made into a pickle. The pumpkin prepared in this way can be preserved as a culinary delight that can accompany countless dishes: accompanying sandwiches, served with a raclette, along with vegetarian burgers, dishes with seitan …
You decide the type of pumpkin you want to use to prepare the recipe. Two types of pumpkin very suitable for preparing the recipe are Butternut pumpkin and Hokkaido pumpkin, the latter will look particularly beautiful in the glass jar thanks to its bright color.
HOW TO STERILIZE JARS
You must sterilize the bottles beforehand. The easiest and most suitable is to sterilize them in a hot water bath.
- Place the canning jars (opening up) and lids in a large saucepan
- Pour water over the glasses until covered
- Boil the water in the pot
- Boil jars for 15 minutes
- Carefully remove the hot water
- Carefully remove jars and lids from the pot with a freshly washed tea towel
- Let them drain briefly
PICKLED PUMPKIN RECIPE
You do not need any special jar or preservation machine to prepare this canned pumpkin, because with vinegar and sugar there is no need to boil and vegetables can be preserved for a long time, simply by placing them hot in sterilized jars. All you have to do is follow some basic rules of hygiene.
The following recipe makes use of a simple ancient method of preservation, vinegar kills microorganisms and sugar serves to give the pickled pumpkin an extra shelf life. And all this without boiling.
Ingredients (for 15 jars of 250 ml each)
- 2.5 kg pumpkin
- 250 ml white wine vinegar
- 750 g sugar
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 12 pieces of star anise
- 5-6 cloves
- 1 piece of ginger, thinly sliced (optional)
Elaboration:
- Peel the pumpkin, remove the seeds and the fibrous inside of the pulp and cut the meat into small pieces (cubes about 1 – 2 cm in size). Remember that the seeds can be dried and roasted.
- Put the pumpkin cubes in a bowl, pour 125 ml of vinegar over them and stir well.
- Cover the bowl and let the pumpkin rest overnight, about 12 hours.
- The next morning, prepare the jars that you are going to use for pickling. The bottles must always be sterile to ensure the shelf life of the contents.
- Drain and collect the liquid in which you have had the pumpkin overnight, add the remaining vinegar, sugar and spices and put everything in a large saucepan. Stir the sugar while heating until it has completely dissolved.
- Bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes, add the pumpkin and simmer until the pumpkin cubes are a little soft but still firm. Depending on the type of pumpkin, this is only a few minutes.
- Now remove the cinnamon and cloves (the star anise can stay) and pour everything into the jars still hot.
- The edge should remain clean and the contents should be at most 1-2 cm below the edge.
- Close the jars immediately and let them cool.
The lids must have been convado inwards, which means that the vacuum has been made. Thus sealed the jars are kept for a year. Jars that have not made they should be placed in the refrigerator and consumed promptly.
