Submitted by:
Felice Sinno-Lai
Category:
Appetizer
Country of Origin:
Italy
Cook time:
1 hour
Serves:
4
Ingredients:
1 medium-sized pumpkin (squash), peeled and sliced into strips (similar to slicing and serving cantaloupe)
1/2 cup red-wine vinegar
2 to 3 large cloves of garlic, sliced thin
3 to 4 tablespoons sugar (pure cane or organic, if possible)
1 cup mint leaves (rolled and chiffonade-cut), 3 prettiest ones removed and saved for serving.
Olive oil (for frying)
Salt to taste
Pumpkin seeds/Pignoli nuts (optional)
Ingredients substitutions:
Any hard-shelled squash can be substituted for the pumpkin.
Steps:
1. Wash and peel pumpkin (squash) and slice into pieces about 1/4" thick (or as my grandma would say - not too thick and not too thin). Set aside.
2. Add olive oil to pan (about 3 tablespoons or enough to barely cover bottom) and heat. (The object is to have enough oil so the vegetable doesn't stick while frying, but not enough so that vegetables absorb a great deal of oil and become greasy.)
3. Slice garlic as thinly as possible and fry in warmed oil. When garlic starts to turn gold, remove from heat and set aside. (Be sure to remove it before it starts to brown otherwise it will make the oil bitter.)
4. Add slices of pumpkin to the pan, and fry each side until golden, salting lightly as you go. Be careful not to crowd the pan, otherwise the pumpkin will steam. The object is to get them fried lightly, barely brown, and not soggy. The sugar in the pumpkin will soften them pretty quickly - so watch carefully. When you are frying these, it's not the time to multi-task. Pay close attention, otherwise they will disintegrate or burn.
5. Remove slices as browned to a glass serving dish that has about 1/2" sides to capture the juices and marinade later.
6. Wipe out the pan, dissolve sugar and vinegar together, and add back to the pan with about 3 tablespoons of additional olive oil and the mint chiffonade.
7. Bring to a slow simmer (you will smell the vinegar cooking), and once the liquid has reduced slightly, add the pumpkin back into the vinegar-sugar-mint mixture carefully, including any juices that may have accumulated in the dish.
8. Spoon the liquid over the pumpkin and heat thoroughly on very low heat.
9. Once the pumpkin is heated through, add the garlic back to the pan and move the pumpkin to the glass serving dish, spooning a little of the sauce that includes the mint and garlic pieces over each layer. (This step is so that the pumpkin absorbs some of the vinegar/sugar/mint/garlic flavor but it shouldn't serve to re-cook the pumpkin).
10. Let sit for at least 1 hour. The more it sits the more flavorful it becomes.
11. Best served at room temperature. Can be served alongside beef or turkey OR alone with a crusty piece of Italian bread to mop up the juices.
What makes this recipe special?
I used to beg my grandma to make this during the fall/winter months when pumpkins were readily available, and I'd stand by her side as she carefully cut the pumpkin and prepared this treat. Any hard-shelled squash can be substituted (even zucchini in a pinch), and now, because of the availability of produce year-round, it can be made anytime. However, my favorite squash is still pumpkin, and my favorite time of year to eat this is when there's a crisp chill in the air and nighttime seems to stretch forever...
p.s. Don't be turned off by the ingredients. These are common ingredients in Sicilian households.
Additional notes:
NOTE: For a pretty presentation and to add some crunch, toast some pumpkin seeds or pignoli nuts and sprinkle over the top. Add the reserved mint leaves as garnish. ENJOY