Saturday 25 November 2017

Pumpkin Casserole

When you grow pumpkins on your allotment and get too many of those you start searching for ideas. After I've given few to friends and another few left in hen run for chickens to feed on, I was still left with a good number.


Pumpkin Casserole

I realised that pumpkin could be used as a casserole, bake inside the pumpkin itself, stuff with meat. Voilla !!!

It's a hollowed-out pumpkin stuffed with meat, and since pumpkins come in unpredictable sizes baking times depend on how long it takes for the pumpkin to get soft enough to pierce with a knife, being precise is impossible. I choose a small one from the allotment.
Empty Pumpkin
Add meat

Add meat


Meat in pumpkin

Lid the pumpkin

Pumpkin in oven after a while


Pumpkin Casser



Ingredients
1 medium size pumpkin
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2-3 garlic cloves
1/2 kg boneless lamb or beef
Onion - 2
Ginger Garlic Paste - 2 tablespoon
Whole Spices (Black Pepper, Green and Black Cardamom, cloves, bay leaf, cinnamon) and chili flakes - to taste
Salt

Recipe
  1. Heat oil in a cooker
  2. Add whole spices
  3. Add onion
  4. Add Meat, salt and ginger garlic paste
  5. Fry
  6. Remove 
  7. Close the lid of Pressure cook, and leave it on medium for a while till meat is slightly cooked
  8. Heat oven to 180C. Cut the top off the pumpkin and use a metal spoon to scoop out the seeds. Get rid of any pithy bits. 
  9. Put the pumpkin on a baking tray, rub with 2 tbsp of the oil inside and out, and season well.
  10. Fill pumpkin with meat, cloves and chili flakes.
  11. Close the lid
  12. Leave in Oven for an hour and a half (check after an hour)
  13. Check again and leave for another 30 minutes if the meat is not done.