I found this fabulous recipe in Vegetarian Times, October 2008 edition, made it for the first time last Fall for my Thanksgiving with Alex Rosa, Rogelio Rendon, Ed Onecic. Appealing one meal to 3 men is not easy but this stew made everyone agree, It's a Hit!
Recently I brought it to a Fall themed dinner party the night before Halloween. Despite using a traditional pumpkin, it's carcass collapsing a bit, resulting in an oozy mess and inability to transfer to a more decorative serving dish, people still liked it so I feel like I really must share this recipe to ensure memorable Fall meals for everyone!
Beware! Children may NOT like this. It is spicy, very smoky flavored. Gia, my 9 year old, deems it too spicy for her seasoned mouth. Proceed with caution!
If you can't find a pumpkin or squash, bake this stew in 2 smaller ones.
2 tbs. olive oil, divided
1 medium onion, diced (1 cup)
1 red bell pepper, cut into 1 inch dice
2 cloves garlic, minced (2 tsp.)
1 tsp. chili powder, pref. New Mexican
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 lb. tomatillos, husked and quartered (1 1/2 cups)
1 15-oz. can hominy, rinsed, drained (get the best brand you can find, it really does make a difference. I like Bush)
1/4 tsp. salt
1 3-4 lb. pumpkin, either sugar pie, cheese, red kuri, kabocha, or buttercup squash
2 oz. grated sharp Cheddar cheese (1/2 cup packed) (if you want the vegan version just skip this!)
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Heat 1 Tbs. oil in pot over medium heat. Add onion, bell pepper, and garlic. Sauté 7 minutes, or until softened. Stir in chili powder, cumin, and oregano, and cook 3 minutes more, or until spices darken.2. Add tomatillos, hominy, ı/2 cup water, and salt. Cover, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer, partially covered, 10 to 12 minutes, or until tomatillos are softened. Uncover, and cook 5 minutes more to thicken stew, if necessary.
3. Meanwhile, cut top of pumpkin around stem to make lid. (SAGENICOLE NOTE: IT'S A LOT EASIER TO CUT THE STEM WITH AN ELECTRIC KNIFE! PICTURE OF MINE ABOVE TO GIVE YOU AN IDEA OF WHAT TO USE.)
Scoop out pumpkin seeds and strings. Rub inside of pumpkin with remaining 1 Tbs. oil, and sprinkle generously with salt. Sprinkle cheese in bottom of pumpkin.
4. Fill pumpkin with stew, then top with pumpkin lid. Place on parchment-covered baking sheet and bake 1ı/2 to 2 hours, or until pumpkin flesh is fork-tender. Remove from oven; let stand 5 minutes.
5. Scoop stew, including pumpkin, into bowls and serve hot, topped with Poblano-Cucumber Salsa (Click here for recipe).
Thanks for posting this - it was deeeelish!
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