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Main Course: Baked Pumpkin With Vegetable Pilaf ...
For far too long, pumpkins have been typecast as either pie filling or porch ornaments. When baked and stuffed, a pumpkin makes a magnificent centerpiece and can be a great dish for holiday time.
You'll need:
- one 5- to 6-lb. pumpkin -- or other winter squash
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 1 small onion -- diced
- 1 red bell pepper -- seeded and diced
- 1 small jalapeno pepper -- seeded and minced
- 1 small zucchini -- diced (about 1 1/2 cups)
- 2 tablespoons minced shallots
- 5 1/2 cups brown rice
- 1/4 cup raisins
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3 cups water
- 8 medium broccoli florets -- blanched
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro -- (optional)
To cook pumpkin:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
With a sharp knife, cut a 4-inch lid off top of pumpkin.
(Angle cut so lid goes back on more easily.)
With a large spoon, scoop out seeds and stringy fibers; discard or reserve for
another use.
Cover hole with a sheet of foil and set pumpkin lid back on top.
Place in a baking pan with 1/2-inch water; bake until inside is tender, 50 minutes
to 1 hour.
Remove from oven and keep warm.
Pilaf:
Heat oil in a large saucepan.
Add onion, peppers, zucchini and shallots.
Saute until vegetables are tender, about 7 minutes.
Stir in rice, raisins, black pepper, turmeric and salt; cook 1 minute more.
Add water; cover and cook over medium-low heat until liquid is absorbed, about
45 minutes.
Fluff pilaf with a fork and stir in broccoli and cilantro if desired.
Spoon pilaf into pumpkin and cover with lid. (Discard foil.)
Set stuffed pumpkin on a large platter in center of table.
When serving pilaf, scrape inside of pumpkin with serving spoon and mix pumpkin
into pilaf.
Makes 4 servings.
(If you double recipe, use 2 pumpkins, not 1 large pumpkin.)