Marineeritud kõrvits

Ingredients

Pumpkin

• 1.5 kgfirm pumpkin or squash, peeled, seeded and cut in 3 cm cubes

Pickle

• 500 mlwhite vinegar
• 500 mlwater
• 600 gsugar
• 2 tspsalt
• 1 tbspwhole cloves
• 2 stickscinnamon
• 1 tbspwhole allspice
• 1 piecefresh ginger, sliced

Directions

1. Use a firm dense pumpkin, not a watery one — a soft field pumpkin dissolves in the syrup and gives a jar of mush.
2. Bring the vinegar, water, sugar, salt, cloves, cinnamon, allspice and ginger to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes so the spices infuse.
3. Add the pumpkin cubes and simmer for 8 to 12 minutes, until they are translucent at the edges but still firm in the middle when tested with a skewer. They will soften further in the jar, so stop while they still have real resistance.
4. Lift the cubes into sterilised jars with a slotted spoon, distributing the whole spices among them.
5. Boil the syrup hard for another five minutes to thicken slightly, then pour it boiling over the pumpkin to cover, leaving 1 cm of headspace.
6. Seal at once and turn the jars upside down for a few hours under a towel as they cool, which pulls a vacuum.
7. Leave three weeks before opening. They keep a year unopened; refrigerate once opened.
8. Serve cold with roast pork, goose or cold cuts at Christmas.

Technique

• Test with a skewer and stop early. Overcooked pumpkin cannot be rescued and the jar is lost.
• It is meant to be properly sweet — closer to a preserve than a pickle. Cutting the sugar makes something that neither keeps nor tastes right.
• Whole spices only. Ground spice clouds the syrup and turns it muddy.

Substitutions

• Butternut squash, which holds its shape well.
• Cider vinegar for white, which is rounder.
• A vanilla pod in place of the ginger, which is a common modern variation.

Variations

• The Latvian and Lithuanian versions are much the same, often with more clove.
• Some households add a strip of orange peel to each jar.

History

Pumpkins were pickled in vinegar, sugar and cloves to preserve an autumn glut; the jar is a fixture of the Estonian Christmas table.

Frequently asked questions

What is Marineeritud kõrvits?

Marineeritud kõrvits is a fermented & pickled from Estonia: sweet-sour pickled pumpkin cubes served cold beside roast meat. Pumpkins were pickled in vinegar, sugar and cloves to preserve an autumn glut; the jar is a fixture of the Estonian Christmas table.

How long does Marineeritud kõrvits take to make?

Marineeritud kõrvits takes 30 min plus 3 weeks of preparation and 25 min of cooking. The recipe makes fills 3 × 500 ml jars. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Marineeritud kõrvits?

Yes, within limits. Butternut squash, which holds its shape well. Cider vinegar for white, which is rounder. A vanilla pod in place of the ginger, which is a common modern variation.

What is the most important thing to get right in Marineeritud kõrvits?

Lift the cubes into sterilised jars with a slotted spoon, distributing the whole spices among them.