A whole pumpkin makes an artful serving dish, especially for a harvest time or Halloween party. You may, of course, fill it without cooking it. I am a great believer in fitting a bowl inside the scooped-out pumpkin to hold the food – that way, I never worry about leaks (or worse!).
Wash and dry the shell, cut a wide lid from the top, and scoop out the seeds and stringy fibers. Fill small, uncooked pumpkins with fruit or vegetable salad, cold soup, chip dip, or ice cream. They also make attractive flower containers (line the scooped-out shell with soaked oasis – or florists’ foam). You might use a medium-to large-pumpkin as a punch bowl – this is a case where I strongly advise a hidden bowl inside.
If you want to bake food in the shell, the prevailing wisdom is to cook it partially first, then add the food, then complete cooking. Now, we have a dessert recipe on site, in which a custard is baked, along with the pumpkin that contains it, in one step, however, the more common technique is this one, to wit: A cooked shell makes an attractive bowl for serving hot soups, stews, casseroles, or other prepared foods.
To use a hollowed shell for warm food, brush the flesh with a little vegetable oil and sprinkle it with salt and pepper. Place the shell on a baking sheet, with the lid beside it, and bake it at 375 degrees until the flesh is tender, which takes about 20 minutes for a 6-pound pumpkin. Check once or twice for accumulated juice inside the pumpkin, removing it with a turkey baster or large spoon.
When the flesh is just fork-tender, fill the shell with prepared cooked food. Replace the lid and bake the pumpkin 20 minutes more, or until the meat is fully soft. Bring the whole shell to the table and scoop out a little cooked pumpkin with each serving. If you leave the lid on, food will stay warm in the shell for about 20 minutes.
Cooked miniature pumpkins make cute containers for individual servings. Fill them with cranberry sauce, rice or bread stuffing, or pie filling. If you wish, bake the stuffing or pie filling right in the shell.
Here is recipe that provides a tasty example of baking a stew in a pumpkin (in this case, two pumpkins). Of course, any stew recipe will work.
BEEF AND VEAL STEW BAKED IN PUMPKINS
This Argentinian shredded meat stew, called a carbonada, is flavored with scallions and pancetta and is served in large pumpkins. In season, the author adds peaches to the mix – dried apricots might be used as an alternative. If you can’t find pumpkins, acorn squash are a fine alternative, and the technique for those is included in the recipe. If you can’t find corn on the cob, use frozen or canned corn kernels, and/or add cubed sweet potatoes and white potatoes to the stew.
