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Pumpkin will lick your fingers for the winter

Finger-Licking Pumpkin Relish for the Winter

This is a real winner, with the vegetables balanced in just the right proportions. Somewhere between a chunky salad and a spread, this pumpkin preserve is a wonderful way to put up the harvest for winter. I like to cook the pumpkin in chunks so it stays salad-like, but if you purée it in a blender you get a smooth, fragrant spread instead. Either way, it comes out with a lovely sweet-and-sour flavor.

hallen-bunny

Recipe author

Pumpkin will lick your fingers for the winter

Composition / ingredients

Servings:

Pumpkin

500

Bell pepper

200

Tomatoes

300

Carrots

150

Onion

150

Garlic

Mixed ground peppercorns

Sugar

Vegetable oil

Vinegar

1.5

Salt (1 level tbsp, not heaping)

Translation table of volumetric measures

Nutrients and energy value of the composition of the recipe

By weight of the composition:

Proteins 8 % 1 g

Fats 31 % 4 g

Carbohydrates 62 % 8 g

64 kcal

GI: 50 / 0 / 50

Cooking method

Cooking time: 40 min

Step 1:

Ready to make this finger-licking pumpkin relish for winter? Start by prepping all the vegetables.
Step 2:

Pour 50 ml (about 3 1/2 tbsp) of vegetable oil into a heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven. While the oil heats, peel the onion and cut it into small pieces. Add it to the hot oil and let it soften — just sweat it, don't let it brown too much.
Step 3:

As soon as the onion turns fragrant, add the carrots and bell pepper, both cut into pieces. Stir, then leave to simmer for 5–7 minutes. You can cover the pot with a lid.
Step 4:

While the vegetables cook, peel the pumpkin and scoop out the seeds. Cut 500 g (about 1 lb) of pumpkin flesh into large chunks, roughly 3/4 inch (2 cm). Add the pumpkin to the pot with the other vegetables. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring now and then. The pumpkin should turn tender but still hold its shape.
Step 5:

Meanwhile, prep the tomatoes. First peel off their skins, then run them through a food mill or grinder — or just chop them finely, whichever is easier for you.
Step 6:

Add the tomato purée to the pumpkin. In place of fresh tomatoes, you can use two tablespoons of tomato paste. Turn the heat up a little and let some of the liquid cook off.
Step 7:

Stir in 3–4 cloves of finely chopped garlic along with the mixed ground peppercorns.
Step 8:

Add one level tablespoon each of salt and sugar. Stir, then simmer the vegetables another 5–7 minutes over low heat.
Step 9:

Right at the end, once all the vegetables are done, pour in 1.5 tablespoons of vinegar. At this point you can purée everything with a blender if you'd rather have a smooth spread.
Step 10:

Spoon the hot relish into sterilized jars no larger than 16 oz (500 ml). Seal tightly with lids that have been heated in boiling water. Wrap the jars up and let them cool completely, then store in a cool place.

If your tomatoes and pumpkin are already sweet, you can cut back on the sugar or skip it entirely. Don't leave out the vinegar, though — the carrots in this preserve are the trickiest vegetable to put up safely, so the acidity matters. If you like things spicy, add a hot chile pepper to the mix and bump up the garlic.
Serve this pumpkin relish as a cold appetizer or as a side with meat dishes, whether cold or warmed through.
Enjoy!
For tips on how many jars you'll need, why jars sometimes burst and how to prevent it, plus other canning tricks, see our guide to putting up food for winter.
Every cooking oil is good only up to a certain point — its smoke point, beyond which it starts to burn and form harmful compounds. Choose an oil with a high smoke point for frying at higher heat.