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Stew In A Pumpkin Shell
1 large pumpkin
Melted butter
Sugar
2 large onions, chopped
4 large garlic cloves, chopped
Olive oil
3 pounds chuck steak, cubed
1 pound tomatoes, peeled and chopped
1 tablespoon tomato paste
3 1/2 pints beef stock
2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 pounds white potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 pounds raw pumpkin, cut in chunks
2 cans sweet corn
12 canned yellow peach halves, sliced
Syrup from canned peaches
Bouquet garni
1 heaping teaspoon dried oregano
Salt and pepper
To prepare the pumpkin, cut the top to form a lid, angle cutting so the lid will sit on
and not fall in. Leave the stem for a handle. Remove the the "guts", the fibers
and seeds and discard. Scoop away most of the solid flesh, leaving a sturdy wall of
pumpkin, being careful not to cut through it. Measure out 2 pounds of the pumpkin flesh
for the stew.
Brush the inside of the cleaned pumpkin with melted butter
and sprinkle lightly with sugar. Replace the lid and set the pumpkin aside on a baking
sheet.
Cook the onion and garlic in a little oil until soft but not
browned. Transfer to a large saucepan. Brown the beef in the oil and add it to the onion
mixture in the saucepan. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, half the stock, the bouquet
garni, a little salt and plenty of pepper to the meat and onions. Cover and simmer until
the meat is almost cooked. This should take about 1 hour.
At this time, put the pumpkin shell in the oven at 375
degrees. Leave it for 30 minutes, or longer if the walls are thick. But be careful not to
collapse the walls. You can use a large casserole as a support for the walls.
Add the sweet potato, potato and pumpkin to the saucepan and
cover with more stock. Return to a boil and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the meat
is tender, the potatoes are cooked, and the liquid is thickened with the dissolved
pumpkin.
Stir in the sweet corn and peaches and simmer for another 15
minutes. Taste, correcting the seasoning and adding a little of the peach syrup. Remover
the bouquet garni and discard. Ladle the stew into the pumpkin and put back into the oven
for 10 to 15 minutes and serve. Makes 6 to 8 servings.
Vegetable and Rice Stuffed
Pumpkin - (Vegetarian)
1 Pumpkin (14 or 15 inches in Diameter) or 2 smaller ones
4 TB Sugar
2 TB Tamari sauce
1 c Water
1/2 LB Fresh shelled chestnuts
1/4 c raisins
1/4 c apricots, Chopped
1 Granny Smith apple, chopped or any tart apple
1/2 c Walnuts, broken but not too Small
1 Stalk celery, chopped
1 medium White onion, chopped
1 medium Red onion, chopped
1 can Corn, drained
1 medium Sweet green pepper, chopped
1 medium Sweet red pepper, chopped
1 medium Zucchini squash, chopped
1 medium Yellow squash, chopped
2 medium Fresh jalapeno peppers, Seeded and minced
2 c Cooked brown basmati rice
1/4 Ts Mace
1/4 Ts Tumeric
Black pepper
1/2 Ts Cinnamon
4 TB Tamari sauce
1. Preheat oven to 350�F. Wash pumpkin and cut off the top, angle the cut so that the top
will fit back on more easily, use a big spoon to scoop out strings and seeds. Mix sugar
and 2 tbs. tamari sauce (you can warm them in the microwave so they will mix more easily )
and spread evenly over insides of pumpkin. Line the bottom of a large pan with single
piece of aluminum foil folded over itself 3 or 4 times, pour 1 cup water in pan, place top
back on pumpkin and place in baking pan, cover the pumpkin and the pan with foil. Bake for
20 to 25 minutes until pumpkin is just starting to become tender, the thicker the pumpkin
the longer it will take.
2. Steam the nuts for about 15 minutes. Rinse them in cool water and slip off the brown
skins. Chop chestnuts coarsely.
3. Combine chestnuts with raisins, apricots, apple, walnuts, celery, white and red onions,
corn, green and red pepper, jalapeno peppers, mace, tumeric and rice, mix well. Add the 4
tbs. tamari and mix again.
4. Dust the inside of the pumpkin with the cinnamon. Pack the pumpkin with the filling and
replace the pumpkin top. Return pan to oven, add water to cover the bottom of the pan and
bake for 45 to 55 minutes.
5. If you are going to serve the pumpkin on something other then the pan it was cooked in
BE CAREFUL. The bottom of the pumpkin may be VERY soft. Wrap the foil from the bottom of
the pan up around the pumpkin as you pick it up, this will keep the bottom intact.
When serving this recipe, scrap the inside of the pumpkin with the serving spoon and mix
the pumpkin into the stuffing.
If you have leftovers do not leave it in the pumpkin. Remove the filling and scrape out
the pumpkin and store in your refrigerator.
Pumpkin Dumplings
1/2 cup canned solid pack pumpkin
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon (generous) baking powder
1/2 cup all purpose flour
3 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Bring large pot of salted water to boil. Whisk pumpkin, egg, salt,
nutmeg and baking powder in large bowl to blend. Mix in flour (dough will be soft). Dip
1/2-teaspoon measuring spoon into boiling water to moisten. Scoop up generous 1/2 teaspoon
of dough and return spoon to water, allowing dough to drop. Working in 2 batches,
repeat dropping 1/2 teaspoonfuls of dough into water, first dipping spoon into water to
moisten each time. Boil dumpling until cooked through, about 10 minutes. Using slotted
spoon, transfer to colander and drain. Melt butter in heavy large skillet over medium
heat. Add dumplings. Saut� until beginning to brown, about 8 minutes. Transfer dumplings
to bowl. Sprinkle with cheese and serve. Makes 4 Side-Dish Servings.
Pumpkin and Potatoes
Pumpkin (Red Hubbard Squash Preferred)
White Eastern Potatoes Bacon
Cut up a pumpkin into manageable pieces. Remove skin off of the
pumpkin with a potato peeler. Run pumpkin slices over a grater to shred the pumpkin. Shred
enough to fill half of a 9" x 13" pan. Pile the shredded pumpkin higher than the
sides of the pan as it will shrink as it cooks. Mix 1\2 to 1 cup of granulated sugar into
the pumpkin to suite your taste.
Peel and slice enough white potatoes to fill the other half of the
pan. Add salt to the potatoes and mix thoroughly.
Place pan in oven at 350 degrees for 1-1\2 to 2 hours. During the
first 1\2 hour, stir the potatoes.
Also stir the pumpkin. After 1\2 hour, cover the top of the entire
pan with slices of bacon. Turn bacon over halfway through the baking process.
Enjoy a great one pan meal. I personally like to use Hubbard Squash
(red in color pumpkins). They are a sweeter pumpkin for use in cooking and especially for
pumpkin pie.
Pumpkin Raviolis
Pumpkin Filling:
2/3 c. canned pumpkin
1/2 c. fresh grated
or shredded Parmesan cheese
(preferably parmigiano-reggiano)
2 Tbsp. dry bread crumbs
3 Tbsp. ground amaretti cookies or almond biscotti
3 Tbsp. butter, melted
Dash nutmeg
Dash salt
For sauce:
1/4 c. butter, melted with dash fresh chopped sage, poured over hot pasta, or to
above melted butter and sage, stir in 1/2 C cream and heat to hot but not boiling, pour
over hot pasta
Make ravioli dough and press or buy pre-made.
Combine all filling ingredients. Use to fill ravioli dough by
putting 1 tsp. of filling onto one square of dough; moisten edges (use egg wash or egg
beaten with a little water), then top with another square of dough, pressing edges to
seal. Repeat with remaining dough and filling. Cook in boiling water for 6 - 8 minutes or
till pasta is cooked, but firm. Drain ravioli and keep warm while preparing sauce.
Spicy Pumpkin
Bisque
1-1/2 teaspoons dried ground small red chilies
such as Piquins
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon butter or margarine
1 16 ounce can pumpkin puree
4 cups chicken stock
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 cup half-and-half or light cream
1/4 cup dry sherry
grated nutmeg
Saut� the onion and garlic in the butter until they are soft and
transparent. Add the pumpkin, stock, Chile pepper, ground pepper, allspice, sugar, and
sherry. Bring to a boil and cover. Simmer the soup for 30 minutes. Place the mixture in a
blender and puree until smooth. Return the soup to the pot, add the half-and-half, and
simmer until heated. Garnish with the nutmeg and serve.
This soup can be served either hot or cold. Serve it hot with
grilled fish and seasoned green beans or cold as a luncheon entree with a crisp salad.
Pumpkin Sauce
for Pasta
3 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 LB pumpkin flesh, peeled seeded and diced (use one pumpkin about 1 3/4 LB)
8 fl oz strong vegetable stock
2 tbsp. parsley, or 1 tsp. dried parsley
4 fl oz single cream
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
pinch of salt
pinch of ground black pepper
pasta, freshly cooked, to serve
Gently fry the garlic and onion in the oil for 3 or 4 minutes. Do
not allow them to burn. Add the pumpkin and vegetable stock and bring to the boil. Cover
and simmer over a medium heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the
pumpkin is tender.
Break up the pumpkin by beating it with a wooden spoon, and stir in
the parsley, cream, nutmeg and seasoning. Cook for a further minute and add a little of
the pasta cooking water if the sauce is too thick. Pour over the pasta and serve
immediately. Serves 3
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