When I think of Thanksgiving dinner, of course the turkey is the first thing that comes to mind. However it’s the side dishes that support the turkey that makes the dinner an over all success! I love to plan the menu of any big occasion so I thought I would do a week of side dishes that could accompany the grand bird at your tables!

This recipe I found on Dori Greenspan’s blog about three years ago. A friend of hers from France had sent her a very rough version to experiment with. We have tried it with a couple different kind of cheeses and we have decided that this rendition is our favorite thus far. Read on and if you change it up a bit let me know your thoughts.

Stuffed Pumpkin

First of all buy a pumpkin. She does not specify what kind, but I like the pumpkin pie pumpkins the best. (The others have been too stringy.) These pumpkins are a little smaller so this recipe as a side dish serves six.

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Using a sturdy knife or a pumpkin carving knife, cut the cap off the top of the pumpkin.

Clear away any seeds and strings from the cap and set it aside while you scoop out the seeds and filaments (stringy stuff) inside the pumpkin. Season the inside of the pumpkin with salt and pepper and put it on the sheet pan or inside a casserole dish.

Cut the bread into 1/2-1 inch cubes.

Toss the bread, cheeses, garlic, nutmeg and half the cream in a bowl. Salt and pepper to taste.

Spoon it into the cleaned out pumpkin. Drizzle the rest of the cream over the top of the stuffing inside the pumpkin. Depending on the size of the pumpkin you may have to add more bread mixture or remove some of the stuffing.

Put the cap back into place and bake the pumpkin for about 2 hours

Check after 90 minutes–or until everything inside the pumpkin is bubbly and the flesh of the pumpkin is tender enough to be pierced easily with a fork.

Once it is done take the pumpkin out and remove the cap. Dig into the pumpkin with a big spoon, pulling the pumpkin meat into the filling and then mixing up everything. The consistency is like chunky mashed potatoes.

Stuffed Pumpkin

1 pumpkin, (about 2 1/2-3 pounds)
4 ounces stale bread, sliced into 1/2-1 inch cubes
4 ounces blue cheese, crumbled
4 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, grated
2-4 cloves of garlic
About 1/3 cup heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
salt and freshly ground pepper

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Using a sturdy knife or a pumpkin carving knife, cut the cap off the top of the pumpkin. Clear away any seeds and strings from the cap and set it aside while you scoop out the seeds and filaments (stringy stuff) inside the pumpkin. Season the inside of the pumpkin with salt and pepper and put it on the sheet pan or inside a casserole dish. Toss the bread, cheeses, garlic, nutmeg and half the cream in a bowl. Salt and pepper to taste. Spoon it into the cleaned out pumpkin. Drizzle the rest of the cream over the top of the stuffing inside the pumpkin. You may have to add more bread mixture to make it full or you may have too much stuffing depending on the size of the pumpkin.

Put the cap back into place and bake the pumpkin for about 2 hours–check after 90 minutes–or until everything inside the pumpkin is bubbly and the flesh of the pumpkin is tender enough to be pierced easily with a fork. Once it is done take the pumpkin out and remove the cap. Dig into the pumpkin with a big spoon, pulling the pumpkin meat into the filling and then mixing up everything. The consistency is like chunky mashed potatoes. Serve out of the pumpkin for a wonderful effect.
Serves 4-6

Posted by Andrea