Stuffed Musquée de Provence Pumpkin
Author: 
Recipe type: Main
Cuisine: American
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 6-8 servings
 
A beautiful Musquee de Provence pumpkin stuffed with ground beef and rice.
Ingredients
  • 1½ pounds/ 700g lean ground beef
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 small onion, finely chopped
  • 2 teaspoons garlic, minced
  • 1 tablespoon fennel seeds, coarsely ground
  • 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 2 teaspoons sweet paprika
  • 2 red bell peppers or sweet Italian peppers, chopped
  • ½ red Fresno or green chilli
  • 4 Jimmy Nardello peppers, chopped (optional)
  • 1 ½ cups/215g brown rice, cooked
  • 4.5-5 pound pumpkin
  • 1 teaspoon oil
  • ½ cup cheese (for the top)
  • Salt and pepper
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 350F/180C
  2. Heat a large skillet or fry pan on medium height heat and add the 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
  3. Add the onions and sauté until soft and lightly browned.
  4. Add the garlic, cook for a minute.
  5. Add the ground beef and cook until the meat is nicely browned.
  6. Add the fennel seeds, red pepper flakes and the sweet paprika.
  7. Stir though the meat.
  8. Push the meat to the side of the pan, remove some oil if necessary (if your meat is lean, there won't be much)
  9. Leave about a tablespoon of oil.
  10. Add the chopped peppers, Fresno and Jimmy Nardellos, if using.
  11. Sauté the mixture till the peppers have softened, about 10 minutes.
  12. Season with salt and pepper.
  13. Remove from the heat.
  14. Add the cooked brown rice and stir through.
  16. While the ground beef mixture is cooking, hollow out the pumpkin.
  17. Using a sharp, small knife cut the pumpkin around the top in a 45 degree angle.
  19. You're aiming for a lid for the pumpkin.
  20. Cut all around and carefully remove the lid.
  21. Clean out the inside guts.
  22. Save the pumpkin seeds if you're going to roast them later.
  23. Rub the 1 teaspoon of oil over the top and the inside and season with salt and pepper.
  24. Stuff the pumpkin pretty tightly with the ground beef mixture.
  25. Stuff to the top but you will place the lid on top so didn't over fill.
  26. You may have some mixture left depending on the size of your pumpkin.
  27. I had about 1 cup leftover (great for stuffing a green bell pepper)
  28. Place the lid on the pumpkin and place pumpkin on a tray or a cast iron skillet.
  29. Mine fit in my 10" cast iron pan.
  30. Put in the oven and bake for 2 hours.
  31. Check the pumpkin at 2 hours.
  32. Pierce with a knife.
  33. The knife should enter without any resistance.
  34. If it still feels firm, let bake for another 30 minutes or so.
  35. Near the end of the cooking time, remove the lid carefully and sprinkle cheese over the top.
  36. Place back in the oven to melt and brown without the lid for 15 minutes.
  37. Remove from the oven and cool.
  38. Add the lid back before serving at the table.
  39. Serve by scooping out the goodies from the pumpkin or cut into wedges.
  40. The filling will disintegrate but you can scoop up with a spoon.
  41. Serve with a vibrant, leafy green salad that has a bright, lemony dressing.
Recipe by Coffee and Crumpets at http://www.coffeeandcrumpets.com/stuffed-musquee-de-provence-pumpkin/