Pumpkin Stuffed with Everything Good

 

I live in New England. By now autumn should have been in full swing for weeks. But noooo, just last week it was 80 and humid and it feels like it has been raining for weeks. What's up with that?!

It's still raining, but that cool fall air has finally arrived! This is the time of year where a special kind of madness takes me over. My brain can't focus on anything but apple picking, choosing pumpkins, going to fairs, decorating for Halloween, and, of course, cooking and baking fall goodies!

I like to blame my urge to create deliciously rich and sinful meals and treats during the autumn months on necessity. I need all of those cookies and stews to fatten up to survive the long, freezing cold winter, you know. Winter is coming. What? Don't look at me like that…

Good news is this recipe for a baked pumpkin from Dorie Greenspan can be adapted to be as hearty and rich, or light and healthy as you like. The possibilities are virtually endless. I chose to stuff mine with all sorts of fall produce, but you could just as easily make a pumpkin full of brown rice, green veggies and go light on the cheese.

Whatever you do, you will be satisfied... especially if the sight of a whole roasted pumpkin overflowing with yumminess evokes a sense of autumn magic for you like it did for me!

Pumpkin Stuffed with Everything Good

Makes 2-4 Servings

1 small sugar pumpkin, about 3 pounds

1 onion, thinly sliced

1 Tbsp butter

1/4 lb stale bread, cut or torn into 1/2 inch chunks

1/4 lb Gruyere, or other melty cheese, cut into 1/2 inch chunks

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

4 slices bacon, cooked until crisp, drained and chopped

1 small apple, peeled, cored and chopped 

2 large handfuls fresh spinach

1/4 cup snipped fresh chives

 1 Tbsp minced fresh thyme

1/3 cup cream or whole milk

pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

Salt & pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet or small dutch oven with parchment. Cut away the cap of the pumpkin around the stem. Reach in and scoop out all of the seeds (reserving for toasted pumpkin seeds if you like) and stringy bits. Clean up the underside of the cap as well. Season the inside of the pumpkin generously with salt and pepper, place on prepared baking sheet and set aside.

2. Melt the butter in a medium skillet over medium-low heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally,  until they turn a rich golden color, about 20-30 minutes. Scrape out into a large bowl and add the spinach to the warm pan with a few drops of water, cooking just until wilted, 1-2 minutes. Add to the bowl with the onions.

3. Add the bread, cheese, garlic, bacon, apple, chives, and thyme to the bowl with the onions and spinach. Toss well to combine. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed. Pack the mix into the prepared pumpkin. Stir the nutmeg into the milk/cream and pour over the stuffing in the pumpkin. 

4. Put the cap back in place on the pumpkin and bake for about 2 hours, checking after 90 minutes - the pumpkin should be tender enough to easily pierce with the tip of a knife and the stuffing should be hot and bubbling. You might also want to remove the cap with about 20 minutes left in the cook time to let some of the extra liquid in the pumpkin cook off. 

5. Carefully transfer the cooked pumpkin to your serving platter. To serve, either dig into the pumpkin with a large spoon scooping out the pumpkin flesh with the stuffing, or slice into portions skin and all. 

Experiment with the fillings and enjoy again and again!


*Edit 10/11/11

I made this variation tonight and just had to share here. Loved the flavor combination and the way the rice turned into something like a risotto! I gathered most of the ingredients from my favorite farmers' market too making this a great way to celebrate some local fall flavors. Try it with a kabocha or kuri squash instead of a pumpkin!

Brown Rice, Kale, Leek and Oyster Mushroom Variation

1 cup short grain brown rice

1 cup water

1 cup chicken or vegetable stock

1/2 tsp curry powder

1/4 tsp smoked paprika

1 bunch kale, thick stems cut away

1 Tbsp butter

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 very large leek, or 2 small, white and pale green part only, thinly sliced

2 big handfuls oyster mushrooms, cleaned, trimmed and roughly chopped

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 thai chiles, finely chopped (optional)

1/4 lb melty cheese of choice, cut into 1/2 inch cubes, I used a mixture of Dairyere and Brigid's Abbey from Cato Corner Farm

1/3 cup cream or whole milk

pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

Salt and Pepper to taste

1 small sugar pumpkin, kuri or kabocha squash

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet or small dutch oven with parchment. Cut away the cap of the squash around the stem. Reach in and scoop out all of the seeds and stringy bits. Clean up the underside of the cap as well. Season the inside of the squash generously with salt and pepper, place on prepared baking sheet and set aside.

2. Combine the rice, water, chicken/vegetable stock, curry powder and paprika in a small pot and bring to a boil. Lower to a simmer, cover and cook until the rice is cooked through with just a slight chew, 20-30 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add the kale. Cook for 1-2 minutes until the kale is wilted. Drain well, chop into bite sized pieces and set aside.

4. In a large pan heat the butter and olive oil over medium heat. Add the leeks and saute, stirring frequently, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms, garlic, chiles and a pinch of salt, cover and cook, stirring occasionally until the mushrooms are soft, another 5 minutes or so. 

5. Mix the cream/milk with the nutmeg and set aside. Add the cooked rice, kale and cheese to the mushroom and leek mixture and mix well. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Pack as much of the filling into the prepared squash as you can, leaving a little space at the top. Pour the milk and nutmeg mixture over the filling and top with the stem.

5. Bake for about 2 hours, or until the squash is easily pierced with a knife, removing the stem for the last 20 minutes of cooking. (If you have leftover filling you can bake it in a covered dish for 20 minutes) Let cool for 5-10 minutes then slice or scoop out the flesh and filling and serve!