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It is important for the housewife that the family’s diet be varied throughout the year. Therefore, preparations for the winter, when the bulk of fruits and vegetables are no longer available, are a lifesaver. Compotes are a storehouse of vitamins, glucose and good mood. In this article we will pay attention to a non-standard approach to the selection of components. We will cook pumpkin compote with orange.
It turns out that the sunny vegetable gives an amazing taste and color to the familiar drink. You can prepare pumpkin and orange compote for the winter or use it right away.
Pleasure will come not only from the drink, but also from the bright, sweet pieces of pumpkin. This option can easily be classified as a culinary masterpiece.
Preparing components for compote
Before you start preparing an unusual compote, pay attention to the choice of pumpkin. After all, it is the main component, and the quality of the entire dish as a whole depends on its taste.
A few recommendations for choosing:
- Use muscat varieties if you have a choice. These varieties will give the compote an exquisite taste.
- If this is not possible, take dessert fruits with bright colors and a pleasant taste of the pulp.
- Choose a small pumpkin. It is sweeter, its peel is softer and it is more convenient to work with a small fruit.
- If you buy vegetables at the market, do not take cut fruits. Of course, for hygiene reasons.
- Take oranges that are fresh, bright, and have thick skin. Bruised ones are not suitable for unusual compote.
- Water for cooking must be purified (structured). The taste and quality of the compote depends on this. With low-quality water, even the best pumpkin and orange will not be able to make the compote taste good.
How much of each product do you need to take to make a drink?
For 500 grams of pumpkin it will be enough:
- oranges - 3 pieces;
- sugar – 1 glass;
- purified water – 2 liters.
First, let's prepare the pumpkin. If the fruit is large, cut it into 2 or 4 parts, then peel the pumpkin and remove the seeds. They are very useful, so don't throw them away. The seeds are not suitable for drinking, so it is better to rinse and dry them.
Cut the vegetable first into strips, then into cubes.
Place in a container for cooking compote, pour in syrup.
Stir thoroughly and place on the stove. Cook for 15 minutes at low boil. To prepare the syrup, mix water with sugar and boil for 5 minutes.
While the pumpkin is cooking, prepare the oranges. Fruits must be washed well. Peel one orange, squeeze out the juice, remove the zest, add 3 tablespoons of sugar and grind thoroughly. To remove the zest, use a fine grater.
Peel the remaining two oranges, fillet (divide into slices), then cut the pulp into pieces.
Add orange slices to the boiled pumpkin, stir and cook everything together for another 5 minutes.
The next step is to add the juice and boil for 3 minutes.
Check the drink for sweetness.If you like sweet drinks, you can add sugar beyond the amount specified in the recipe.
Pre-wash and sterilize the glass jars for rolling, pour the boiling syrup and close with sterilized lids. The pumpkin and orange preparation is ready for the winter table. The same recipe is perfect for a summer version on a hot day at the dacha.
Pumpkin and orange drink for the winter - option with spices
Spices will give a more refined taste to the amazing compote. To prepare winter preparations you will need:
- pumpkin (processed pulp) – 450 grams;
- oranges – 3 pieces;
- purified water – 2.3 liters;
- sugar – 0.5 kg;
- cinnamon stick – 2 pieces;
- cloves – 7 buds.
Prepare the pumpkin thoroughly. To do this, you need to peel the vegetable from peels, seeds, and coarse fibers.
We leave only clean pulp, which we cut into cubes.
Prepare sugar syrup. Mix water with sugar, bring to a boil and simmer for 5-7 minutes. Then add cinnamon, cloves and slices of pumpkin pulp. Mix thoroughly and cook until the vegetable is ready.
Peel the oranges, remove the zest, squeeze out the juice and add it to the pan with pumpkin and spices. Boil for 5-8 minutes.
At this time, we prepare the jars - wash them and sterilize them.
To make the pumpkin and orange compote look beautiful for the winter, first use a slotted spoon to evenly distribute the pumpkin pieces into the jars. Then pour boiling compote and roll up the jars.
Leave to cool slowly. Wrapping cans will help us with this.
Options for creativity
Other fruits will help diversify the taste of the drink. You can safely replace some of the pumpkin pulp with slices of apples or peaches. You can add your favorite spices at your discretion.You can, in general, replace cinnamon and cloves with other ingredients. This will only diversify the taste of the unusual compote. Another plus is that pieces of pumpkin pulp and other fruits are great for baking during the winter months. It is better to consume compote cold. If you have kids in your family, you will have to give up spices. But in any case, pumpkin compote with orange will become your favorite drink.
