Looking for an Italian starter to set the stage for your Italian Seduction Meal, here is an enticing dish by Mario Batali that combines the sweetness of pumpkin and honey combined with vinegar and a dash of heat from red pepper flakes served over thinly sliced salami. Serve with a glass of sparkling champagne or Prosecco. Delicious! The word scapece derives from the Spain and refers to any dish marinated in a
sweet-and-sour sauce.
Coppa with Pumpkin In Scapece
Serves 4
Recipe by Mario Battali
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 pound sugar pumpkin or acorn squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes
- 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 1 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
- 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 3 tablespoons roughly chopped fresh mint
- 1 pound great coppa, such as one from Armadino’s Salami, sliced thin
Directions:
1. In a 10 to 12 inch sauté pan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat until smoking. Add the pumpkin and garlic and cook until the pumpkin is light golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the red pepper flakes, vinegar, and honey and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the liquid is reduced to a syrupy glaze and the pumpkin is tender, 10 to 12 minutes.
2. Remove from the heat, and add the mint.
3. To plate, arrange 5 slices of coppa on a plate. Spoon about 3 pieces of pumpkin over top and drizzle with olive oil.
