Pumpkin Puree, Radicchio di Chioggia and Balsamic Vinegar Cicchetti
I’ve just made these lovely crostini, called cicchetti in Venice, to enjoy the very last days of the beautiful radicchio and the sweet Delica pumpkin, as the season for these ingredients comes to an end.
Recently I’ve been really enjoyed paring a sweet pumpkin puree (flavoured with some herbs and red onion) with slightly bitter radicchio di Chioggia, drizzled with a good balsamic vinegar and some olive oil, which gave me the idea to turn that particular combination into chicchetti, perfect for a pre-dinner snack with a glass of prosecco or one of the classic Italian cocktails involving Campari.
Below you can find the recipe how I like to turn pumpkin into a puree, cooking it in a pan without the need to use a blender.
Ingredients for the crostini (cicchetti):
- pumpkin puree, still slightly warm
- thinly sliced radicchio di Chioggia
- balsamic vinegar
- salt
- pepper, optional
- a drizzle of olive oil
- sliced crunchy baguette, better still if toasted on both sides
Smear a generous amount of the pumpkin puree over each piece of bread, arrange some sliced radicchio on top, season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Finish with some good balsamic vinegar and a drizzle of olive oil.
Eat immediately.
Pumpkin puree with herbs and red onion
Serves 4-6 as a side dish:
- 1/2 of a pumpkin, preferably Delica variety, cleaned, peeled and chopped into smaller cubes
- 1/2 of a large red onion (from Tropea if possible), thinly sliced into half-moons
- 1 glove of garlic, peeled
- a few sage leaves, finely chopped
- a few rosemary leaves, finely chopped
- salt
- pepper
- olive oil
- water, as much as is needed
In a heavy based pan, large enough to accommodate all the pumpkin pieces, heat up on a medium heat 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the sliced onion, season with some salt and fry gently until softened – about 5-8 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the chopped herbs along with the clove of garlic into the pan. Fry everything for about a minute.
Now transfer the chopped pumpkin into the pan, give everything a good stir and fry for a further two minutes.
Pour in some water, about 50-70 ml, cover the pan with the lid and cook on a low heat for 20-30 minutes, or until the pumpkin softens completely. Stir the puree every now and then whilst cooking and add more water if needed. You want the puree to be on the thick side.
You can help to soften and turn the pumpkin pieces into a puree by pressing them with a fork or the back of a tablespoon towards the end of cooking.
Once it’s done give the mixture a good stir, season with more salt and some black pepper to taste.
Drizzle some olive oil all over and stir again.
You should have obtained a thick creamy and shiny pumpkin puree.
