Things inside of pumpkins.

I know it's the new hotness, cooking things inside of pumpkins, but I never said I don't like jumping on band wagons. It's nice to serve up a filled pumpkin and have everyone go 'oooooh' and feel really appreciated for what you've done.

I had a pumpkin, and decided I would try this new thing, and I failed. I was going to cook up a 'risotto' inside a pumpkin, and it didn't work. I found out that you have to cook the rice before you put it in the pumpkin. Hours later, we had half cooked rice, and as it turns out the pumpkin is not an even cooking vessel.

I went and bought another pumpkin and I would try again. I will not be defeated by a pumpkin! Down with the horrible pumpkin regime, I will prevail!

As I opened my pumpkin and was scooping it out, I noticed a bad spot, it went all the way through. Well beep. I already had my rice ready, what was I gonna do? For a brief moment I almost thought about being one of those weird people who returns food. But then, I had cut the pumpkin and scooped most of it out. I rallied my spirits, cut the pumpkin in half, put it in a bowl and then cut up the half with the bad spot and saved what I could. It actually worked really well. The bad spot was on the bottom, so that made it easy, I just had a bowl of a pumpkin. The rest I cubed, mixed in and covered it all with foil and it worked so well! It also made it easy to add cheese at the end.

I cannot guarantee that your pumpkin will have a bad spot, so I'll give you directions for a non-defective pumpkin.

Pumpkin Risotto

Ingredients:

1 C. brown rice
3 morningstar vegetarian sausage patties
1/2 C. sweet onion
1 Tbs. minced garlic
2-3 tsp herbs de provence
1 Tbs. Organic chicken Better Than Bullion base
1 Tbs. unfiltered apple cider vinegar
salt and pepper
1/4 C. non-homogenized cream
truffle oil
low fat mozzarella cheese
1 scooped out sugar pumpkin

Method:

In a pan cook the onion and garlic. Combine in a rice cooker: rice, appropriate amount of water, chopped sausage patties, herbs, chicken base, vinegar, salt and pepper, onions and garlic. When the rice is done (being brown rice, it will hold up to the cooking, if you use white rice, only cook for 15 minutes), mix it with the cream and a little more water. Mix in the cheese, cut into cubes. Fill the pumpkin and drizzle a little truffle oil over the top. Place top on pumpkin and bake 350 for about an hour and a half. Be sure to bake in a dish. To serve, scoop out some of the pumpkin with the rice and if desired sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.