Pumpkin Stuffed with Risotto
What do you do with a pumpkin after Halloween?
Stuff it, of course.
I love looking in my oven to see an entire pumpkin cooking ~ stem and all. It makes me smile. I love this recipe. I don’t make it often, but I’ve made it periodically since the mid-70s. Yep, I’m that old. This recipe is one for all generations and vegetarians. It’s a wonderful dish for a special occasion. It certainly will make it one.
A bit of warning – it’s a several hour process to do it from scratch. It’s actually five separate recipes. You can obviously take short cuts, but there is something cathartic about an overcast winter day when you start to smell the broth, then the risotto and finally, the pumpkin. And you really are eating the rainbow.
From The Vegetarian Epicure by Anna Thomas (aff link*). Find it in my Amazon Cooking and Food collection. Bon appetit!
Scroll to see more pictures below recipe….
Pumpkin Stuffed with Risotto
Wonderful for vegetarians, it makes dinner a special occasion to see a whole pumpkin in the oven. It takes several hours from broth to risotto and pumpkin, but it's worth it.
Equipment
- Dutch oven
Ingredients
Potato Peel Broth
- 6-7 potatoes, peeled 1/4" thick
- 1 large onion
- 2 carrots
- 1 small stalk celery
- 1 1/2 quarts water
- sprig parsley
- 1 clove garlic
- salt
- pepper
Garlic Broth
- 1 1/2 quarts Potato Peel Broth
- 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 bay leaf
- Pinch sage
- 1/4 tsp thyme
- 1 head garlic, broken into cloves & peeled (about 16)
Risotto Alla Milanese
- 5 tbsp butter
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 cups uncooked pearly rice, Lombardy region
- 1/2 cup Marsala wine
- 5-6 cups Garlic Broth
- 1/4-1/2 tsp saffron
- salt
- pepper
Risotto Doug Edwards
- 1/2 recipe Risotto Alla Milanese
- 1 large eggplant (1 lb. at least)
- salt
- butter & olive oil
- 6 scallions
- Worcestershire sauce
- 3-4 fresh carrots
- 1 1/3 cups cooked kidney beans (canned)
- 1/2 cup roasted pumpkin seeds
- 1/3 cup roasted large sunflower seeds (shelled)
Stuffed Pumpkin
- 1 medium-sized pumpkin (6-8 lb., about 14" in diameter)
- Risotto Doug Edwards
- soy or Worcestershire sauce
- salt & pepper
Instructions
Potato Peel Broth
- Make 1/4" peelings of the potatoes (use remainder for another dish).
- Peel and quarter the onion.
- Wash and cut carrots and celery in large chunks.
- Simmer vegetables and parsley in water for 1 1/2 hours. Add water as it evaporates. Remove vegetables. Makes about 6 cups.
Garlic Broth
- Combine all ingredients and simmer 30-45 minutes.
- Discard garlic cloves & bay leaf.
Risotto Alla Milanese
- Saute onion. Add uncooked rice. Add Marsala, then 5 cups hot broth, salt & pepper and saffron. Stir well. Cover skillet tightly and lower heat. Wait 20 minutes.
- (If you stop here, you can just have this Risotto and serve with Parmesan cheese.)
Risotto Doug Edwards
- Wash eggplant and slice in 1/2" circles. Salt both sides & rest 20-30 minutes to remove excess water. Rinse lightly and dry. Cube slices. Heat a little olive oil and butter in large skillet. Chop scallions & saute lightly for a few minutes. Add eggplant and continue to saute 10 more minutes, stirring almost constantly. Add salt, pepper and Worcestershire sauce to taste.
- Chop scallions & saute lightly for a few minutes. Add eggplant and continue to saute 10 more minutes, stirring almost constantly. Add salt, pepper and Worcestershire sauce to taste.
- Scrape & slice carrots. Steam until half tender, for just a few minutes.
- Combine rice, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, eggplant, carrots & beans. Toss lightly & check seasoning. Add more salt and pepper, if necessary.
- Pile mixture into lightly oiled baking dish and cover. Place in preheated 475 degree oven for 45 minutes. Makes 6-8 servings.
Stuffed Pumpkin
- Cut a circle in top of pumpkin. Scrape seeds and pulp out of pumpkin and its top. Sprinkle inside liberally with soy or Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper. Set aside to marinate.
- Stuff Risotto into pumpkin when ready. Replace pumpkin top. Put pumpkin in shallow baking dish. Bake in preheated 425 oven for 1 hour.
Notes
I love looking in my oven to see an entire pumpkin cooking ~ stem and all. It makes me smile. I love this recipe. I don’t make it often, but I’ve made it periodically since the mid-70s. Yep, I’m that old. This recipe is one for all generations and vegetarians. It’s a wonderful dish for a special occasion. It certainly will make it one.A bit of warning – it’s a several hour process to do it from scratch. It’s actually five separate recipes. You can obviously take short cuts, but there is something cathartic about an overcast winter day when you start to smell the broth, then the risotto and finally, the pumpkin. And you really are eating the rainbow.I recently substituted a ruby red dessert wine for the dry Italian Marsala the recipe called for and loved it. I used Finale from Burntshirt Vineyards (North Carolina).From The Vegetarian Epicure by Anna Thomas (aff link*). Find it in my Amazon Cooking and Food collection. Bon appetit!Notes:*Affiliate link: should you buy after clicking, I may receive a small spiff, but you will never be charged more for going through an affiliate link.
Notes:
*Affiliate link: should you buy after clicking, I may receive a small spiff, but you will never be charged more for going through an affiliate link.
