Make Pumpkin Stew!

My friend Melanie made a pumpkin stew for my roommate and me back when I lived in St. George, Utah. I had never heard of such a dish, and I remember being a little apprehensive about trying it. It was yummy and festive all at the same time!

So, last Saturday we bought a pumpkin at Tolmachoff Farms and had Pumpkin Stew on Sunday, thanks to Melanie for sending me her recipe. First, I browned the stew meat. Then I peeled carrots and potatoes, diced some onion, and combined the meat and veggies in a large pot (along with diced tomatoes). For seasonings, the recipe called for minced garlic, salt, pepper, beef bouillon, and a clove. Add some water and let the stew simmer for 2 hours. I didn’t have 2 hours, so I let it simmer long enough to cook the vegetables.

While the stew was cooking, Stephen cut a lid in our pumpkin and hollowed it out. Next, came the fun part. We put the pumpkin on a baking sheet, ladled the stew into the pumpkin, and put it in the oven to bake for 2 hours. (Yes, this dish takes a LONG time to cook.) Since my oven seems to cook things faster than recipes indicate, our pumpkin stew was done in about an hour and a half.

To serve, we used a spoon to scrape the cooked pumpkin from the sides into the stew. Happy Harvest!