The most delicious appetizer "Uncle Ben's" made from pumpkin and tomatoes
Tomato sauces, ketchups, and other canned vegetables from the Uncle Ben's brand were very popular in the 1990s. At the same time, homemade preserves under the same name began to appear – always delicious, vibrant, and aromatic.
There are various ways to prepare appetizers and salads: with bell peppers, zucchini, and eggplant. And, to top them all off, there's a very unusual appetizer called "Uncle Ben's," made with pumpkin and tomatoes for the winter. Pumpkin lovers will definitely agree that this is the most delicious recipe. Try making this salad yourself; the recipe with step-by-step photos will serve as a hint and detailed preparation instructions. It's best to use late-season pumpkin varieties with firm flesh for this salad. Fresh tomatoes can be substituted with canned or frozen ones, or you can add diluted tomato paste.
Ingredients:
- pumpkin – 600 g (weight without peel and seeds);
- tomatoes – 500 g;
- carrots – 300 g;
- sweet bell pepper – 200 g;
- onions – 150 g;
- garlic – 2 cloves;
- refined vegetable oil – 100 ml;
- sugar – 3 tbsp;
- table salt – less than a tablespoon;
- vinegar 9% - 2 tbsp.
How to make Uncle Ben's pumpkin and tomato casserole
Peel the pumpkin, remove the soft core with the seeds, and cut the flesh into small slices about 1 cm thick. Chop the onion into quarters and the carrot into rounds or thin slices. Remove the seeds from the pepper and rinse the inside. Cut into strips.
Pour all the oil into the cauldron and let it heat up thoroughly. Reduce the heat, add the onion, and after a couple of minutes, add the carrots. Lightly fry the vegetables, but don't let them brown; keep them light in color.
Add the bell pepper and pumpkin slices. Stir and sauté for a few minutes, coating the vegetables with oil.
Grind the tomatoes in a blender or meat grinder. You can dilute the tomato sauce or use canned tomatoes in their own juice, ready-made tomato juice, or frozen tomatoes. Add the tomatoes to the remaining vegetables.
Season the salad with salt and sugar. Stir and bring to a boil over medium heat. Then reduce the heat to low, cover the pot with a lid, and simmer, stirring occasionally, for half an hour.
Add vinegar, grated garlic, and two or three allspice berries for flavor. Stir and simmer the salad for another five minutes. Meanwhile, sterilize the jars and boil the lids.
Place the hot salad in sterilized jars, seal tightly with screw-on lids or use a seaming machine. Cover with a blanket and let sit for 24 hours. Then store in a cool place away from direct sunlight (bright light will cause the pumpkin to darken). Happy canning!
