LUCY BURDETTE: We're back to having Halloween Week on the blog this week--BOO! Tune in every day for a recipe of the season to serve to your goblins and ghosts. But I have a confession: I am on vacation and did not have time to come up with a new recipe, so I am reposting one of my favorites. It's a bit of a project, but it comes out looking gorgeous and tastes amazing! (Please don't tell Lottie that Tonka the wonder dog takes center stage today...)
While making the recipe, Tonka and I practiced with our hot dog costumes--we planned to be wearing these in the Key West wiener wonderland parade in January, but Halloween seemed like a great time to try things out!
And now on with the food....
I remember from years ago having a recipe for a big baked pumpkin. Maybe it was filled with soup? Maybe from the cookbook LAUREL'S KITCHEN? But I couldn't find anything similar to my memory. (Oh sigh, isn't that the case more and more these days?)
I did find a Dorie Greenspan recipe for baked stuffed pumpkin--hers contained bread cubes, garlic, cheese and cream. I tweaked this to make it more savory. But you can add and subtract ingredients, according to what you like. (I considered adding sausage and apples and maybe some dried cherries...)
In photo above, see the unsuspecting pumpkins, thinking they will be part of the Halloween decor, not the dinner!
Ingredients
2 smallish sugar pumpkins, about 2 1/4 pounds each
3 slices bacon, fried and crumbled
2-3 leeks or an onion, cleaned and chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
2/3 recipe of cornbread (8 x 8 inch pan), crumbled
4 oz shredded cheese (I used swiss and cheddar)
Fresh dill chopped, as desired
chicken broth as needed
Wash the pumpkins and cut out the lids as if you were making jack-o-lanterns. Clean out the innards, saving the seeds to roast, if desired.
Fry the bacon, crumble. Saute the leeks and celery in olive oil over low heat until they are soft. Crumble the corn bread in a bowl, add the bacon, vegetables, and cheese. Combine all this nicely and moisten with chicken broth until it's the consistency of stuffing--not too dry and not too wet. I used about 3/4 cup.
Stuff the pumpkins and cover with foil. Bake in a 350 degree oven for one and a half to two hours. (Mine took two.) You will have to check for done-ness
as time will vary based on size of the pumpkin. You should be able to easily poke a skewer through the flesh. Remove the foil for the last 15-20 minutes so the top of the stuffing crisps up. I served this cut in quarters with a grilled pork loin and some roasted green beans.
And now on with the food....
I remember from years ago having a recipe for a big baked pumpkin. Maybe it was filled with soup? Maybe from the cookbook LAUREL'S KITCHEN? But I couldn't find anything similar to my memory. (Oh sigh, isn't that the case more and more these days?)
I did find a Dorie Greenspan recipe for baked stuffed pumpkin--hers contained bread cubes, garlic, cheese and cream. I tweaked this to make it more savory. But you can add and subtract ingredients, according to what you like. (I considered adding sausage and apples and maybe some dried cherries...)
In photo above, see the unsuspecting pumpkins, thinking they will be part of the Halloween decor, not the dinner!
Ingredients
2 smallish sugar pumpkins, about 2 1/4 pounds each
3 slices bacon, fried and crumbled
2-3 leeks or an onion, cleaned and chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
2/3 recipe of cornbread (8 x 8 inch pan), crumbled
4 oz shredded cheese (I used swiss and cheddar)
Fresh dill chopped, as desired
chicken broth as needed
Wash the pumpkins and cut out the lids as if you were making jack-o-lanterns. Clean out the innards, saving the seeds to roast, if desired.
Fry the bacon, crumble. Saute the leeks and celery in olive oil over low heat until they are soft. Crumble the corn bread in a bowl, add the bacon, vegetables, and cheese. Combine all this nicely and moisten with chicken broth until it's the consistency of stuffing--not too dry and not too wet. I used about 3/4 cup.
Stuff the pumpkins and cover with foil. Bake in a 350 degree oven for one and a half to two hours. (Mine took two.) You will have to check for done-ness
as time will vary based on size of the pumpkin. You should be able to easily poke a skewer through the flesh. Remove the foil for the last 15-20 minutes so the top of the stuffing crisps up. I served this cut in quarters with a grilled pork loin and some roasted green beans. Happy Halloween!
Lucy Burdette writes the Key West food critic mystery series including USA Today bestselling A CLUE IN THE CRUMBS. You can order that wherever books are sold. If you’re all caught up, try Lucy’s first women’s fiction title, THE INGREDIENTS OF HAPPINESS.
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USA TODAY BESTSELLING A Clue in the Crumbs, #13 in the Key West food critic mystery series, in stores now!
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Your recipe sounds delicious. I think I will be trying this one out in the near future. I'll have to half everything as there are only 2 of us but I'll make it work.
ReplyDeleteThank you for this yummy recipe that I can see on our table in the near future!
ReplyDeleteAnd Tonka is one little cutie as a hot dog!
2clowns at arkansas dot net
Wow, Lucy! This recipe is almost identical to the one we make at least twice every Fall! We don't use leeks or onions because I am intolerant of the onion family... Your recipe looks like it contains more stuffing than ours, so we'll try yours. We already made it once this year, and will be making yours soon...I am intrigued! Leftovers are great the second day!!! Initially we got turned on to cooking with pumpkins as a container at a restaurant in Recife, Brazil (actually, in the old town of Olinda) called Oficina do Sabor. This is their website, and you can see photos of some of the dishes: http://www.oficinadosabor.com/
ReplyDeleteTheir stuffed pumpkins are filled with seafood...I would get on a plane today just to go and enjoy more of their menu selections. Thank you for sharing your wonderful recipe with us. Enjoy your vacation, Lucy! Luis at ole dot travel
Those stuffed pumpkins look beautiful! aprilbluetx at yahoo dot com
ReplyDeleteThat sounds so delicious. And it would make a tasty addition to the holiday table!
ReplyDeleteI guess the hardest part is prepping the pumpkins. Otherwise, it seems pretty simple and delicious.
ReplyDeleteHappy vacation.