Stuffed Pumpkin with Harvest Rice
This festive facet dish contains a tasty rice combination that may be served inside a hollowed, baked pumpkin or different hard-rind squash. Pumpkins have been cultivated in Mexico greater than 5,000 years in the past. Native American Indians have been consuming them lengthy earlier than the Pilgrims arrived. Keep away from discipline pumpkins, which have watery, stringy flesh.
Rice is the right canvas for a large number of flavors and textures. Select an fragrant, long-grain rice with a nutty taste like Carolina Gold Rice, an heirloom rice that’s the delight of the Lowcountry; basmati, native to Northern India; or jasmine, native to Thailand. If utilizing basmati or jasmine rice, first rinse the uncooked rice underneath cool water till it runs clear. A 7-ounce field of aromatic Konriko Wild Pecan Rice (no pecans or wild rice included) or Additional Lengthy Grain Carolina White Rice are additionally good decisions.
3 cups cooked rice (1 cup long-grain or extra-long-grain rice, cooked in response to package deal instructions with rooster broth or water)
1 baking pumpkin (4-5 kilos), or 2 to three smaller pie pumpkins, rinsed, dried
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 small onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 massive garlic clove, peeled and minced
1 stalk celery, trimmed and diced
1 small yellow or crimson bell pepper, seeded and diced
2 to three teaspoons chopped contemporary herbs (sage, oregano, thyme, or parsley)
½ cup dried cranberries or golden raisins
⅓ cup toasted, chopped nuts (cashew nuts, pecans, or walnuts)
Fantastic sea salt and black pepper, to style
Cook dinner rice; when executed, fluff with a fork and put aside. Preheat oven to 375 F. Place pumpkin on a foil-lined, rimmed baking sheet. With the tip of a pointy knife, pierce the highest 3 or 4 occasions. Bake 35 to 40 minutes or till pumpkin is tender but nonetheless holds its form. Cool barely, then minimize off the highest to create a lid. Scoop out pumpkin seeds and stringy pulp. Cowl with foil to maintain heat; put aside.
Warmth butter with oil in massive skillet over medium-high warmth. Saute onion, garlic, celery, and bell pepper till softened. Stir in herbs, raisins, and nuts. Combine in reserved rice till mixed; season with salt and pepper. Put pumpkin on a serving platter. Brush the inside with melted butter or olive oil; season evenly. Fill with heat rice combination; serve any additional on the facet. On the desk, scoop out the rice combination together with the cooked pumpkin. Or minimize the pumpkin, with rice, into wedges. Serves 5 to six.
Three Variations:
To make sausage rice, saute ¼ pound spicy, bulk sausage meat within the skillet, then add greens; stir cooked combination into rice.
To make bacon rice, stir 4 or 5 slices crisp-cooked, finely chopped bacon into cooked rice combination.
To make tacky rice and pumpkin, place baked pumpkin shell in a heatproof pan reminiscent of an enamel, cast-iron casserole or massive forged iron-skillet. Fill with rice; prime with shredded Gruyere, Emmenthaler, or fontina cheese. Warmth in a 350 F oven till heat and cheese is melted.
