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except i used a squash. a squash that masquerades as a pumpkin.
so really, you would never know that this wasn’t an actual pumpkin. unless i told you, which i am. and i think that even by tasting, you’d still never know. because this squash was fleshy, dry, sweet and well, deliciously pumpkiny - and not to confuse things but it was even sweet potatoey.
i used what i’m pretty sure is known as an ‘ambercup’ squash, along with 2 smaller ‘kabochas’ that i had bought 2 weeks ago. as it turns out, ambercups and kabochas are related, both being part of the squash family called the "buttercup". personally, i am from the greenbaum family line and also have many cousins, but i’m not sure if we taste alike nor do i want to find out. quite frankly many of our cousinly characteristics are so vastly different - and on too many levels to even begin to mention, that i would highly doubt it. except that we are all jewish - and beyond that i’m not even really sure what parallel is being drawn here… except that maybe jews taste alike. and from there i’d have to surmise, being the quasi food knowledgeable person that i am, that this would highly depend on what the individual jew was eating. whereas most squash tend to eat the same things as in water and daylight.
have i lost you yet?
so yesterday i was on the nytimes dining site looking for bittman’s whole wheat super speedy no-knead bread recipe and somehow i came across a link to a slew of pumpkin recipes, which took me to a list of archived recipes, which with one click took me here. i really liked the sound of this dish but what cemented the deal was the date. because i realized that when this recipe was first published almost 4 years ago to the day, americans were being asked to choose their next president. and the talking heads were talking, and the commercials were in full swing and the politicians were hitting us with everything they had and well, you needed a roasted stuffed pumpkin just to cheer you the hell up. that and a few glasses of vino.
i took major liberties with this recipe, using what i had in the house. the recipe called for one 7 lb. pumpkin, basmati rice, dried cranberries, saffron, orange zest and vegetable stock. i used 3 squash (the one pictured plus 2 smaller kabochas), white long grain rice, currants, dried apricots and a zip-lock bag from my freezer whose contents had started off as a vegetable stock and finished as the strainings from my last risotto which had gotten a bit too soupy on me. so this broth/stock had a lot of tomato/parmigiano flavor happening all on its own - but i took a chance, and really it worked out better than i’d hoped.
roasted stuffed pumpkin
heavily adapted from the ny times food section - october 27, 2004
note: after further research i am pretty sure that this is from a nigella lawson article/recipe as the dates match up….
7 lb sugar pumpkin or assorted squash
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 onion, finely chopped
4 cloves minced garlic
1/2 c cup currants
1/2 cup chopped dried apricots
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon allspice
2 cups white rice
4 cups stock of choice
salt
heat oven to 400 degrees. Fill a kettle with water, and bring to a boil. about an inch below the top of the pumpkin’s "shoulders," about where it would be cut to carve a jack-o’-lantern, slice a lid from top of pumpkin, and set it aside. remove seeds and fibrous flesh from inside.
in a large saucepan over medium-low heat, heat the oil, and sauté the onion until it is softened. Add 2 minced garlic cloves, and sauté for 30 seconds. Stir in the dried fruit, ginger and allspice. add the rice, and stir until it is glossy. pour in stock, and bring to a boil. cover, and reduce heat as low as possible. cook for 15 minutes. meanwhile rub the inside of pumpkin with some salt .
when rice has cooked for 15 minutes, it will be damp and not very fluffy. adjust seasoning to taste, and spoon into pumpkin cavity. press lid firmly on top. It may sit above the stuffing a bit like a jaunty cork. wrap bottom three inches of pumpkin in a double layer of foil to protect it from contact with water during baking. place in a roasting pan, and add about 1 inch of boiling water to pan.
bake the pumpkin until it is tender when pierced with a knife, about 1 1/2 hours. (If there is resistance when pumpkin is pierced, allow more baking time.) to serve, remove pumpkin from pan, and allow it to rest for about 10 minutes. discard foil, and place pumpkin on a serving platter.
a jaunty cork. gotta love that.
you can then cut it into wedges as one would do with a cake. it holds together beautifully. all in all it was a big hit around here. last night i was feeding vegetarians as well as those that chose to embellish their stuffed squash with some leftover pulled pork. illustrating how you can serve it as a side or as a main. it goes with just about anything and would make a great leftover lunch - i’m thinking with a poached egg on top because that is my automatic culinary embellishment…
and the recipe? it’s just a loose reference…
32 responses so far ↓
1 Niall Harbison // Oct 23, 2008 at 6:13 am
I would have had no idea that it wasn’t a pumpkin from the pics! Funny how you can always trick people with food! Looks like you literally threw everything you had at this recipe! Seems like it would be nice and filling though!
2 Robert // Oct 23, 2008 at 6:14 am
Fret,
Well done, I mean litterally. It looks like it is cooked well…..
All recipes are just a loose reference.
3 Donald // Oct 23, 2008 at 6:16 am
Nicely done, but…
Was this for form or function?
Wouldn’t it be cool to carve a Kim Kardashian figurine into the pumpkin b/4 baking?
/hangs head
4 Julia // Oct 23, 2008 at 6:45 am
That looks great! I like the presentation, both whole and cut in half. And I can see how your embellished stock would be great with the pumpkin… er, i, mean the squash.. or pumpkin? Right?
5 democommie // Oct 23, 2008 at 7:18 am
Good Morning, Claudia:
That looks scrumpdiddlyumptious.
I think that you would like the recipe for the pumpkin dish that Helmond, and afghan restaurant in Cambridge,MA serves. I’ve never had it but I’m told it’s the most ordered dish on their menu. I’ll see if I can get a copy.
You eat the whole thing, including the skin, yes?
Although my kitchen is still on sawhorses, I was going to make a really nice sauce bolognese the other night. Turns out I didn’t have any bologna, so I used ground beef; is that okay?
I have put my blog address in. It’s not that I hesitate to blow my own horn, it’s just that it’s often a distressingly discordant tune to some folks.
6 RecipeGirl // Oct 23, 2008 at 7:38 am
Mmmmm! I’d love this. I did a side dish once of corn pudding in miniature pumpkins. It was both cute and delicious to eat the pumpkin along with the corn.
7 Rachel (S[d]OC) // Oct 23, 2008 at 8:02 am
What a beautiful presentation. I’d eat it and I don’t even like pumpkin.
Okay, so it’s not pumpkin. It still looks like pumpkin. My brother keeps telling me that the pumpkin they have in canned pumpkin is actually squash anyway.
8 Choosy Beggar Tina // Oct 23, 2008 at 9:00 am
I like stuffed anything, and that looks fabulous. Also a big fan of the apricot addition. That looks tasty enough that I could throw some chunks of soy protein in there and trick my partner into eating it anyway. Which, really, is what I look for in a dinner
9 claudia // Oct 23, 2008 at 9:28 am
tina - totally! this would be a great way to use that textured soy stuff…
rachel - i just heard that too. news to me…
recipegirl - i am a corn pudding fan and kinda love the sound of that. you’ve got me thinking…
demo - bologna sauce. lovely. i hope you used oscar meyer. and your blog is just over my head to some extent, being the political ignoramus that i am. but i did vote yesterday. so now i am DONE with it…
julie - it looked cool cut in quarters and eighths too…
donald - i had to google that kim chick. i had no idea… and now i am proud of that fact.
robert - thanks. i was quite pleased with this as it will lend itself to an array of possibilities.
niall - hugely filling - no pun intended. and a good way to use up this and that. it’s a do over at some point.
10 tony's 2nd wife // Oct 23, 2008 at 9:42 am
claudia, did you just vaguely mention cannibalism? i’m sure that it couldn’t be kosher. anyways this recipe looks good and i love the presentation.
11 TaratheFoodie // Oct 23, 2008 at 10:35 am
I agree with Robert AND you, Claudia… all recipoes are a loose reference. I use them to inspire me and give me ideas these days, but I almost always add something to them (or omit something). I remember the days when I didn’t do that and cooked a Giada De Laurentiis recipe and well, all I could taste was lemon! Seriously… what is her insane obsession with lemon?!
Anyhoo, the “pumpkin” is WAY cute. :0)
12 Robert // Oct 23, 2008 at 11:08 am
Measure Smeasure. Bah!
13 Diana // Oct 23, 2008 at 11:36 am
Delish. I love edible cooking vessels. After reading the November Gourmet (there’s a very similar picture of a roast pumpkin!), this has been imprinted on my soul and will be tried soon.
14 Nate // Oct 23, 2008 at 11:58 am
When you said
“but what cemented the deal was the date.”
I thought you meant the fruit, as in medjool dates. Although I was mistaken, I think some dried dates would go nicely in this dish.
15 Lesley // Oct 23, 2008 at 12:29 pm
I’ve made a similar dish with acorn squash that I served as a sub for turkey at Thanksgiving. The Momster was too busy loving it to miss her fowl. I also had some carmelized onions in the stuffing, but I made it separately from the roasted squash. I don’t think the onions would fare too well inside the gourd for that long!
Oh, and there was a hint of cumin in mine as well. It’s not necessary or for everyone, but I liked what it added.
16 cookiecrumb // Oct 23, 2008 at 2:11 pm
Pretty!
I’ve done this (without a recipe, and reading your post and the comments, isn’t that the point?).
Fun.
17 Melissa // Oct 23, 2008 at 3:13 pm
Soylent Greenbaum…
Sorry.
*Hanging head in shame next to Donald*
Great dish you put together there, you.
18 Ethel // Oct 23, 2008 at 3:17 pm
Hard to believe it’s not a pumpkin. Definatley a cousin. Do Idare make this for Thanksgiving? It would be a hit I’m sure and make for interesting conversation at the table.
19 noble pig // Oct 23, 2008 at 6:28 pm
I love how it looks when cut open and all the variations you used.
20 Marie // Oct 23, 2008 at 9:12 pm
Claudia, I love how you cut it in wedges and ate it like cake, I would have never thought of that! I used used mine totally for the presentation. I’m sure yours tasted awesome with all the dried fruits and flavors!!
Did you eat the skin on that? or just up to it?
21 Lauren // Oct 24, 2008 at 8:32 am
that looks insanely tasty.
22 Peter // Oct 24, 2008 at 10:03 am
I’m going to try this with our kabocha and black rice.
23 Biz // Oct 24, 2008 at 2:22 pm
Love this recipe, although I think I’d be the only one in my family to eat it.
My husband like meat for dinner, with a side of meat, and meat for dessert!
Thanks for the recipe though - maybe I can use a tiny squash for an individual serving for me?
24 Julie // Oct 24, 2008 at 2:35 pm
Straining off extra broth from your risotto and saving it? You admirably frugal woman, you! One of the things I’m always impressed with when I read about any of the things you make is your damned freezer and all the good stuff you manage to save and reuse. Is that a southern thing?
And, Melissa — Soylent Greenbaum, heh!
25 Sara // Oct 24, 2008 at 7:28 pm
This looks really delicious and creative.
26 MangerLaVille // Oct 25, 2008 at 9:35 am
this sounds delicious but it looks like it could feed an army. Not really, but the pictures make it looks like a big pumpkin. It sounds delicious, maybe I will try it with a different squash.
27 Kim // Oct 27, 2008 at 7:05 am
You could have fooled me too! I love fall squashs any way and this looks just wonderful Claudia!
28 jodycakes // Oct 27, 2008 at 11:17 pm
This is so cool…I can’t wait to try it out.
And I wonder if you could use the phrase “jaunty cork” in any other capacity…?!?
This looks wonderful
29 robin // Oct 28, 2008 at 7:41 am
I just made a whole roasted pumpkin with vegetable stew inside! It was the star of Jim’s get-off-probation party!
30 becky and the beanstock // Oct 29, 2008 at 3:27 pm
Oh the nomenclature of the cucurbitaeae (or is it cucurbitacaea?) species (or is it family?)
This looks just gorgeous, and I am so going to try it. I have some hapless member of the winter squash varieties sitting in my produce bowl…
31 Brittany // Nov 1, 2008 at 9:54 pm
This looks both delicious and like something that WONT make my ass very very fat.
Unlike the fucking Halloween sized twix bars that I’m probably about to attack
32 Kristie // Nov 3, 2008 at 4:44 pm
We did a squash tasting at school today, and they didn’t have pumpkin. Can you believe that? Ah well, I’m sure if they had they wouldn’t have stuffed it with ridiculously good-looking rice pilaf.
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