Ricette di Sicilia
Cibo, cultura e tradizioni siciliane
Golden Pumpkin Caponata – the warm, sweet-and-sour taste of a Sicilian autumn
A colourful, gently sweet Sicilian pumpkin caponata - vibrant, tangy and perfect with roasted meats or aged cheeses.
🛒 Ingredients
- ✓ 2 kg pumpkin (preferably kabocha or butternut)
- ✓ 1 head of celery
- ✓ 1 large onion
- ✓ 250 g pitted green olives
- ✓ 50 g salted capers, rinsed
- ✓ 1 litre tomato sauce
- ✓ Salt, to taste
- ✓ Freshly ground black pepper
- ✓ Extra-virgin olive oil
- ✓ 1 glass vinegar
- ✓ 2 tablespoons sugar
📊 Nutritional Information
If you’d like to bring the colours and aromas of a Sicilian autumn to the table, this golden pumpkin caponata is the perfect dish. With its mellow sweetness and lively agrodolce notes, it’s a beautiful seasonal variation on the classic aubergine caponata - warm, comforting and wonderfully moreish.
Serve it warm or cold, with crusty bread and a good glass of red wine, and let the soft, honeyed pumpkin soak up the bright Mediterranean flavours around it.
👨🍳 Preparation
- 1
Peel the pumpkin, cut it into large chunks and fry it in extra-virgin olive oil until golden.
- 2
Drain the fried pumpkin on kitchen paper and set aside.
- 3
Soak the capers to remove excess salt. Trim the celery, removing tough leaves, and boil in salted water until tender.
- 4
Finely slice the onion and gently sauté it in an enamelled casserole with a splash of olive oil.
- 5
Add the boiled celery, sliced olives, rinsed capers and tomato sauce. Season with salt and pepper and cook over medium heat for about 15 minutes.
- 6
Fold the fried pumpkin into the sauce, stirring carefully so the chunks remain intact.
- 7
Dissolve the sugar in the vinegar, pour it into the casserole and cook over high heat for a couple of minutes to let the sharpness evaporate.
- 8
Remove from the heat and leave to cool completely before serving.
💡 Tips and Variations
Add toasted pine nuts and raisins for a sweeter, more traditional Sicilian touch. If you prefer a gentler acidity, replace the vinegar with white wine vinegar. Like all good caponate, this one is even better the next day - a night in the fridge helps the flavours meld beautifully.
📦 Storage
- • Store in an airtight glass container in the fridge for up to 7 days.
- • Serve at room temperature or lightly chilled.
- • You can freeze individual portions for up to 1 month.
- • Avoid reheating on the hob; let it return to room temperature naturally.
- • Add a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil before serving to brighten the flavours.
🍷 Pairing
Enjoy this golden pumpkin caponata with a glass of Eloro Rosso, a full-bodied Sicilian red whose deep, fruity notes complement the dish’s sweet-and-sour balance.
Golden pumpkin caponata is a love letter to Sicilian autumn - fragrant, colourful and full of character. Serve it as a side or antipasto, and let its bright agrodolce flavours tell the story of Sicily one delicious bite at a time.
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