Marinated Pumpkin--Sweet and Sour Halloween Leftovers

I am sure that these days many, like me, ended up with at least one huge pumpkin sitting on the porch. And I have no doubt that those living in America probably have some family recipes for it. Well, ever since I moved to the US I have been intensively adapting pumpkins and everything from its family to my culinary repertoire. I think I am getting pretty good at that, considering that in Europe I have never been a pumpkin lover.

Around this time pumpkins are present in all farmers' markets and ordinary grocery stores. They are so beautifully shiny and orange that it is impossible to avoid them. So each year, I warm up to them more and more and try a new pumpkin recipe. Last month I posted a pumpkin dish coming from Afghanistan. Today, I would like to share another one, this time a very Polish recipe.

Pumpkins have always been cultivated in Poland. In my home I heard only about two pumpkin dishes: milk-pumpkin soup, that has never sounded appealing to me, and marinated pumpkin that my grandmother and my mother prepared for winter. That version of pumpkin I have always loved and I have not seen in any other cuisine.

In Poland, almost any fruit or vegetable used to be marinated for winter consumption, when fresh produce was very limited. One of them was a marinated pumpkin. I think that condiment could be very successful in the US, especially to accompany a Thanksgiving turkey. Traditionally, we served it with roasted meats and potatoes, most often roasted hams, pork loins, and poultry. So if you have never tried marinated sweet and sour pumpkin, here is the idea how to make a good of use of at least a part of that Halloween leftover sitting on your porch.

Marinated Pumpkin
(For a 750g or 24oz jar)

Ingredients:
1 lb of pumpkin, cut into small cubes,
1 cup, 5 percent acidity white vinegar,
1 cup sugar,
1/2 cup water,
6 cloves,
6 grains all spice,
2 bay leaves,

Preparation:
1. In a medium pot boil water with 2 tbsp of salt. Add pumpkin and boil for 2-5 minutes. The exact time will depend on how ripe or hard your pumpkin is and you need to check it with a fork every few minutes. Pumpkin should be cooked, but still pretty hard. Drain it on a colander.
2. To make a marinade put all the ingredients in a medium-sized pot and bring it to boil. Let it boil for about 3 minutes.
3. Transfer pumpkin pieces to a preserve jar, pour the marinade in, close the jar, and set it aside. Pumpkin is good already on a next day but if the jar is tightly closed, it can be kept for months.

Serve with all roasted meats and cold cuts.