Cocozza Alla Festa di San Giuseppe, March 19th
In August when squash are nice and tender (about 5" to 6" long), pick and lightly scrap but do not peel. Halve squash and then cut in 1/4" wedges, or slice if preferred.
Spread wedges or slices on cake racks. Salt heavily and place in the sun. Be careful they do not get wet. As they dry thoroughly for several week,s the salt dries into the dehydrated vegetable. Put wedges away in covered container until March.
To prepare for the festa, soak the Dried wedges overnight in warm water. Remove and wash again with fresh water. Dry with paper towels. Drip wedges in white flour and saute in vegetable oil until nice and crisp.
In a saucepan, slowly saute in olive oil green chopped Italian olives, raisins, and capers. Add tomato paste, begin careful the mixture doesn't stick (keep it on a low flame).
As ingredients become blended together, slowly add, a small amount at a time, tomato paste with warm water or tomato sauce. Just enough to keep mixture from burning. Then add a little red wine or Marsala so that the mixture is not too watery but nice and thick.
Layer the fried cocozza pieces in a dish and pour the sauce over.