ROASTED SUGAR PIE PUMPKIN STEW

image MAKES 6 SERVINGS

YOU’VE HEARD OF ONE-POT SOUPS? Well, this is actually a zero-pot recipe, as we’re doing all the actual cooking inside the pumpkins themselves. This was a favorite at our holiday table last year and for good reason: the house smells warm and fragrant, there’s a sense of anticipation as the Peruvian-influenced stew bakes, and you get a lot of “oooh and ahhh” factor when you bring the pumpkins out to the table. To serve, scoop out some of the flesh and stew right into your favorite soup bowls and garnish with a little cilantro and toasted pumpkin seeds. Personally, I love to set out the pumpkins and garnishes and let people serve themselves—it always tends to be a good conversation starter and helps bring together friends who may not have known one another well to begin with.

1 yellow onion, ¼-inch diced

2 carrots, peeled and ¼-inch diced

3 stalks celery, ¼-inch diced

⅔ pound purple potatoes, cut into ½-inch pieces

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Small pinch of ground cloves

1 tablespoon ground cumin

2 tablespoons chili powder

1 cup quinoa, rinsed

2 teaspoons sea salt

1 apple, peeled, cored, and ½-inch diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 jalapeño pepper, ¼-inch diced

¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon olive oil

2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

3 sugar pie pumpkins or red kuri squash, tops cut off, seeds and membrane scooped out and discarded

4 cups vegan vegetable stock

2½ cups baby spinach

½ cup toasted pumpkin seeds

5 sprigs cilantro, large stems removed, chopped

1. Preheat the oven to 250°F.

2. In a large bowl, combine the onion, carrot, celery, potato, spices, quinoa, salt, apple, garlic, jalapeño, olive oil, and black pepper. Toss well.

3. Fill each pumpkin with the mixture, dividing equally. Pour the vegetable stock into each pumpkin until it reaches ½ inch from the top. Place the top of each pumpkin back on top to cover. Transfer the pumpkins to a baking sheet and bake for about 90 minutes. Liquid will be bubbling out.

4. To serve, place a small handful of spinach in each bowl and scoop out the stew onto the spinach, scraping some of the soft flesh of the pumpkin from the side while scooping. Garnish with pumpkin seeds and cilantro. Keep some extra stock heated while serving. In case soup comes out a little thick, add some stock to thin it out.

CHEF’S NOTE: If you have a hard time finding sugar pie pumpkins, feel free to use kuri squash instead.