Stew-in-a-Pumpkin
Since fall is our favorite season, we thought we would share one of our family's favorite fall recipes. It's a great treat, and soooooo yummy. If you try it, let us know how it turns out!
If you know us, you know that Sarah loves to cook. What you might not know is that Sarah has started a food blog to chronicle our family's food life! It's amazing to see how a glimpse into someone's kitchen can be a reflection of so much more of their lives.
So we invite you to check out Sarah's blog, Fresh Life.
Stew-In-A Pumpkin
What you need:
1. One large pumpkin that will fit in your oven
2. Your favorite stew recipe (mine below)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook stew and boil on the stove for 15 min. While stew is cooking, take the top off your pumpkin and remove the guts and seeds. Next, put the pumpkin into a roasting pan or 9X13 for transporting. Pour the boiling stew into the pumpkin and replace the top. Bake stew in the pumpkin for 1 hour or until you can pierce the pumpkin with a knife and it is soft. (Sometimes it gets singed on top a bit.) Serve stew straight from the pumpkin. Use a metal ladle and gently scrape the side of the inside of the pumpkin when you serve so that everyone gets a nice chunk of fresh pumpkin in their stew.
Bonus! Empty the pumpkin of stew, making sure to scrape off just the layer of pumpkin that has stew on it. You should still have a good amount of pumpkin flesh left untouched that you can then use for pumpkin pie, bread, or whatever else you want! And don't worry - it won't taste like stew :)
Sarah's Stew Recipe
2 Lbs stewing beef
1/3 cup flour + salt, pepper and dash of adobo
3 tablespoons butter
3 cups boiling water + 1 bullion cube
1 cup red wine
2 garlic cloves
3 carrots diced
2 stalks of cellery diced
2 parsnips diced
1 onion diced
8 red potatoes quartered
2 bay leaves
1 tsp. fresh Thyme
dash of nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste
In a dutch oven or large pot heat 1 tablespoon of butter. Combine flour, salt, pepper, and adobo seasoning in a bowl and toss meat to coat. Save the excess flour. Add beef to hot pot and gently sear on all sides in batches. You don't want to completely cook the meat - this is just to seal in the juices. Set aside. Add remaining two tablespoons of butter to hot pot, and all veggies but the potatoes. Saute until onions are opaque. Add flour remaining in the bowl from the beef coating, and stir with veggies for 1 minute. Gradually add wine and stock while stirring rapidly. Add the potatoes, beef and seasonings. Bring to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes.
