This is a very versatile dish: it makes a great side dish for meats, but it can also be eaten as an appetizer or finger food on some toasted ciabatta. It is my family’s favourite vegetable dish. We all like its sweet and sour taste and I usually make a lot of it and keep it in the fridge to be eaten over a few days... it is one of those dishes that tastes better after a couple of days. It is a family recipe that comes from my dad’s side of the family... so it is another one of my Sicilian dishes that I am very happy to share with all of you. Enjoy!
Ingredients:
750 gms pumpkin, sliced (1 - 1.5 cm thick)
1 big garlic clove
1 tablespoon mint leaves finely chopped
½ glass of red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
3 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Salt
Vegetable oil for frying (I use sunflower)
Start by slicing the pumpkin into 1 to 1.5 cm thick slices. Put some salt on it and shallow fry in hot vegetable oil until soft and golden brown.
Put the fried pumpkin slices in a glass container and keep aside.
Now, prepare the sweet and sour sauce. Roughly chop the garlic clove and put it in a frying pan with the extra virgin olive oil and the chopped mint.
Sauté on a low fire for 1 minute. Do not brown the garlic or it will taste bitter. Dissolve the sugar into the vinegar and pour the mixture into the frying pan with the garlic, increase the flame and let the sauce thicken for 1 or 2 minutes.
Add 1 pinch of salt, stir and put the fire off.
Pour the hot sauce on top of the fried pumpkin slices and let it cool down.
Refrigerate overnight and serve cold or at room temperature, after moving the pumpkin within the sauce so that the sauce coats all of the slices. It goes well with sliced ciabatta bread or as a side dish.
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This also sounds delicious! I eat pumpkin all the time and I can imagine that the sauce goes well with roasted pumpkin and other root vegetables. Thanks!
I love pumpkin dish but never tried with sweet and sour flavor. How interesting! I'm lack of pumpkin recipe (not creative enough like you!), so bookmarked and put it in my to-make list!
Sweet, sour, and fresh from that mint! I could eat this by the bucket-full!
I've died and gone to heaven -- this dish looks fantastic! I can't wait to make this in my kitchen. If I thought it wouldn't be inconvenient I'd just go to your house and eat it but perhaps I should try it on my own. 🙂
This sounds so delicious and different! I'm sure that the combination of pumpkin with garlic and mint is divine. Thanks for sharing!
I love pumpkin, but I have never eaten it cooked this way! Sounds so yummy.. I love the addition of mint... 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
yum manu, sounds delish will have to try it.