Recipe: Pumpkin Stew in Roasted Pumpkin or Acorn Squash Soup Bowls (no meat)

PUMPKIN STEW IN ROASTED PUMPKIN OR ACORN SQUASH SOUP BOWLS



"Here's the perfect excuse to bring together a group of friends. Begin a fall day with a trip to the farmers' market, then prepare the bounty of the season and present the creation with style. Cornbread and red wine complete the fresh palette of brilliant colors and earthy flavors. If you like, garnish servings of the stew with roasted pumpkin seeds."

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped onions
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 large tomatoes, cut into 1/2-inch dice
1 red bell pepper, seeded, deribbed, and coarsely chopped
1 russet potato (about 10 ounces), peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice (about 2 cups)
1 orange-fleshed sweet potato (about 12 ounces), peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice (about 2 cups)*
1 cup dried apple slices
2 cups vegetable stock, plus more as needed
1 sugar (pie) pumpkin (8 to 10 pounds)**
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted (vegan recipe if pumpkin is brushed with olive oil, not butter)
Salt for sprinkling
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper for sprinkling, plus 1/2 teaspoon
1 (15 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup dry sherry

Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic; cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are translucent, about 5 minutes.

Add the tomatoes, bell pepper, potatoes, apples, and 2 cups vegetable stock. Increase the heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat; cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes.

MEANWHILE, TO PREPARE THE PUMPKIN:
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Lightly oil a shallow baking pan large enough to accommodate the pumpkin.

Slice off the top of the pumpkin, leaving about a 6-inch opening, and discard. Scoop out the seeds and stringy membranes, leaving the pumpkin flesh intact; brush the inside and top edge with the melted butter and sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Place the shell in the prepared baking pan.

TO BAKE THE STEW:
Stir the stew and add the black beans, sherry, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Pour the mixture into the pumpkin shell.

Bake for about 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until the pumpkin flesh is fork tender. (Thicker pumpkins will take longer, up to 1 1/2 hours.)

TO SERVE:
Carefully transfer the pumpkin to a large bowl. (Take special care, because the shell may be soft in places.) If the stew has become too thick to suit you, gently stir in some hot vegetable stock.

For each serving, use a large spoon to scoop out a wedge of cooked pumpkin; place in the bottom of a soup bowl. Top with the stew.

ADVANCE PREPARATION:
Cook the stew on the stove early on the day it is to be served; refrigerate in a covered container. Bake it in the pumpkin just before serving. Refrigerate the leftover soup and baked pumpkin flesh scooped form the shell in separate covered containers for up to 5 days; discard the pumpkin shell.

*What is labeled a "yam" at the supermarket most likely is an orange sweet potato. These have a dark, uniformly colored brown skin, a shape that tapers on both ends, a bright orange flesh, and a sweet flavor when cooked. White sweet potatoes have a lighter, thinner skin, pale yellow flesh, and a less-sweet flavor. Store sweet potatoes in a cool, dry, dark, and well-ventilated place for up to 2 weeks, do not refrigerate.

**The best cooking pumpkins are sugar, or pie, pumpkins, which were developed for pie making. Avoid field, or jack-o'-lantern, pumpkins for cooking; they are usually fibrous and flavorless. Fresh pumpkins are available in the fall and early winter; they will keep at room temperature for up to 1 month or in the refrigerator for up to 3 months.

VARIATIONS:
- To shorten baking time, clean and season the pumpkin; bake it for 30 minutes while making the stew. Bake for 45 to 60 minutes after filling with the stew.
- Rather than baking the stew in one large pumpkin, bake about 1 1/3 cups of the stew in each of 6 single-serving sugar pumpkins, each weighing about 2 pounds and measuring 6 inches in diameter. Reduce the baking time to about 1 hours, or until the pumpkin flesh is fork tender.
- For a simpler presentation, cook the stew ion the stove top, simmering it uncovered until the desired consistency. Serve in soup bowls.

- Serve the stew in Roasted Acorn Squash Soup Bowls rather then baking in the pumpkin:

ROASTED ACORN SQUASH SOUP BOWLS

4 acorn squash

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Cut each acorn squash in half horizontally. Scoop out the seeds and discard. Use a spoon to remove any stings and to smooth out the insides. Cut a very thin slice off the bottoms to make a stable base. Brush the insides and tops with oil and sprinkle lightly with salt. Place the squash halves, cut-side down, in a lightly oiled baking pan. Pierce the skin in several places with a fork.

Bake for about 45 minutes, or until the flesh is fork tender.

Place the roasted squash on a place or set in a soup bowl. Fill with warm soup and serve immediately.

Makes 8 cups (6 to 8 servings)
Source: A Beautiful Bowl of Soup by Paulette Mitchell and William Meppem