Save a Turkey, Stuff a Pumpkin!

Have extra pumpkins from Halloween sitting around? Eat 'em!

It's pumpkin and squash season and here are a few recipes Iskashitaa recommends for doing some seasonal cooking.

Elegant Stuffed Pumpkin
From the Vegetarian Times Cookbook
Modified by “Fun with Fruit”, Iskash*taa Harvesting Network

• 1 five pound pumpkin
• 2-3 cups brown or white rice, cooked
• 2 cups crumbled dry bread
• 1 onion, chopped
• ½-1 cup chopped celery and leaves
• 2 local apples (tart, chopped)
• Handful dried fruit (any)
• 1-2 cups vegetable stock
• ¼- ½ cup butter, melted, or safflower oil
• Sage, savory, marjoram, oregano, & paprika to taste
• Soy sauce or salt to taste
  

Cut off top of pumpkin to make a lid. Remove seeds and scrape out any stringy pulp. Combine dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl and mix well with hands. Add stock and butter, and mix well, adding soy sauce or salt if desired. Stuffing should be moist by not wet. Pack loosely into pumpkin, replace lid, and bake on an oiled cookie sheet for 1 ½ hours or more at 325 °F. It’s done when a fork pushes easily through the pumpkin. Transfer to a casserole dish and serve at the table, scooping out some of the tender pumpkin flesh with each serving of stuffing.

Serves 5-6

Stuffed Squash
From the Vegetarian Times Cookbook
Modified by “Fun with Fruit”, Iskash*taa Refugee Harvesting Network

• 1 large squash (Hubbard, butternut, or 2-3 acorn squash)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 onions, minced
• 6 celery stocks (with leaves)
• 2 chopped local apples
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup soup stock or water
• 3 cups cooked brown rice, millet, or bulgur
• Cayenne pepper to taste
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon crushed sage
• ½ cup toasted and chopped almonds, cashews, etc.
• Handful dried fruit (raisins, apricots, cherries, any)
  

Split squash in half and scoop out seeds and membrane. Heat 1 Tbsp. oil in a skillet and sauté onion. When it’s lightly browned, add celery and sauté a few minutes more. Add salt and ½ cup of water. Simmer for 10 minutes. Combine with remaining stuffing ingredients. Fill squash cavities and brush sides with remaining oil. Place in a roasting pan and cover the whole pan with foil. Bake at 350 °F for 1-2 hours. (Hubbard squash usually takes much longer to bake than an Acorn.)

Serves 6

Pumpkin (& Raisin) Chutney
By Joanna Farrow
Modified by “Fun with Fruit”, Iskash*taa Refugee Harvesting Network

• 2 lbs. pumpkin, seeded
  
• 1 large onion, chopped
  
• 1 large cooking apple, cored & grated
  
• 1¼ cup raisins, dried cherries & currants
  
• 1 ¾ cups white wine vinegar
  
• 1 ½ cups light brown sugar
  
• 1 ½ oz fresh ginger, grated
  
• 2 teaspoons salt
  
• 1 tsp ground coriander
  
• 2 cinnamon sticks, halved
  

1. Cut the pumpkin (or firm winter squash) into ¾ -inch chunks, discarding the skin.
2. Put the pumpkin in a large, heavy-based saucepan and add all the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Reduce the heat and cook gently, uncovered, for about 45 minutes until the chutney is thick and pulpy. To check whether the chutney is cooked, draw a wooden spoon through the mixture, it should leave a clean trail on the base of the pan that slowly disappears.
3. Spoon the chutney into sterilized jars and lids. Store in a cool place for a month before using or not.

Makes 2 ½ lbs

Roasted Pumpkin with Cheese Soup

from Ruth Reichl Tender at the Bone

Cut off the crown and scoop out the seeds and strings. Layer it two thirds full with toasted bread and grated gruyere cheese. Then fill it up with cream and chicken or vegetable broth at a 1.5 to 1 ratio. Put the crown on and bake it at 350 degrees for two hours (or less for a very small one). Serve it at the table right from the pumpkin, scooping out the pumpkin meat with the goodies.

Below is a printable version of these recipes.

Save a Turkey_Stuff a Pumpkin Recipes