Wicked Tasty: Cheesy Gooey Goodness-Stuffed Pumpkin

Yep. Halloween is just around the corner and the Internets are flooding with pumpkin recipes. Please do, however, give me some credit for resisting the urge to post yet another soup recipe. So as to be somewhat unpredictable, I decided to break out of my soup rut and experiment a little bit in this week's blog post.

I guarantee that this stuffed pumpkin concoction will appeal to all your senses--it's colorful, aromatic and it's unlike anything you've ever tried before. It's also lots of fun to make, and the end result will be a gorgeous, bubbling, ooooey gooey cauldron of cheesy, sweet savory goodness.



One caution: be ready to feed a small army with your creation. Granted, this dish can be portioned out on its own as a main course--but it's super-rich and dense, so you might feel a bit guilty afterwards from the calorie intake. Instead, my suggestion is to serve it as a hearty centerpiece party dip, right out of the pumpkin, using pretzel chips or celery sticks to scoop out the sweet cheesy awesomeness.

Read on for the step-by-step deets. The proportions below will yield enough to generously serve 10-15 people if served as a party dip.

GATHER AND PREP YOUR INGREDIENTS

One small-ish pumpkin (~3 lbs.), cleaned and hollowed out
2-3 cups French bread, diced
1-2 cups baby spinach
1 Granny Smith apple, diced
2 cups diced cheese (I used Havarti, white Cheddar, and Gruyere)
4 large garlic cloves, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 cup whipping cream

1/2 cup beef broth 
Salt and Pepper (to taste)

GET COOKING

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

The first step will no different from making a Jack-o-Lantern: Cut a cap off the top of the pumpkin. Remove the seeds and scrape with a spoon, until the interior is smooth and free of any slimy pumpkin "guts."

In a large bowl, blend the bread cubes, apple, cheese, garlic and baby spinach.

Transfer the bowl's contents into the hollowed pumpkin cavity.

Place the stuffed pumpkin on a baking dish large enough to contain its perimeter. (I used a standard oven safe 12-inch glass pie dish). Next, pour the heavy cream and the beef broth into the pumpkin. You'll want the filling to be thoroughly moistened, but not swimming in liquid. 

Pantry Goddess Tip: For a little extra "ooomph," use French onion-flavored beef broth instead of plain.

Re-cap the pumpkin and place it in the center of your oven. Set the timer for 90 minutes, then go watch some football.

After the 90 minutes are up, uncap the pumpkin. 

Re-set your timer for another 30-40 minutes and continue to bake uncapped. Once uncapped, the contents will eventually bubble up and expand as shown in the pic below. Allow the cheesy stuffing to brown slightly. When the pumpkin's exterior skin is tender enough to pierce effortlessly with a knife, remove from the oven and let cool for about 5 to10 minutes.

After (approximately) two full hours of baking at 350-degrees, your pumpkin will have gone from this...

To this... (Keep reading for final steps/serving suggestion.)


Using a metal table spoon, gently separate the pumpkin flesh from the hull, being very careful not to pierce it (if you do, this entire lovely vessel may collapse!). Gently fold the baked pumpkin flesh into the rest of the contents, then season with black pepper and sea salt to taste. Serve it with celery sticks and/or pretzel chips to scoop out the contents. Not only will you have a delicious pumpkin dip, but if served right out of the pumpkin, it will also double as a very impressive looking (and edible) centerpiece for your party table. Happy Halloween!

Easy and Exotic: Moroccan Carrot Soup

I lived in Morocco for some time when I was a child, and developed a palate for this French-speaking country's cuisine early in life.  To this day, I continuously seek out and try out new recipes with North African flavor profiles.

In the early 1900's Morocco was governed by France, so you'll find that some of its cuisine employs French methods to transform its exotic spices and local produce (mainly root vegetables and dried fruits) into delicious, flavor-packed and surprisingly refined dishes.

The recipe I'm sharing with you this week is inspired by Moroccan cuisine. It is incredibly fast and easy to make and requires relatively few ingredients--all of which are easily found in most American and European kitchens. The result is simply spectacular...once you taste this soup, you will seriously consider serving it as first course at a dinner party or at your next family holiday gathering.  Read on for the deets.

Gather and prep your ingredients

The proportions listed will yield 4 first course servings

3 tbsp unsalted butter
1 yellow onion, chopped
1.5 lbs carrots, diced
2.5 cups chicken broth
2 slices fresh ginger root
Juice of 1 lemon
2 tbsp ground cumin
1 tbsp honey 
1/3 cup plain yogurt
Fresh parsley, chopped 


Get Cooking

In a large heavy saucepan, melt the butter at medium-high heat, then sauté the onions in the butter until translucent (about 2 min).

Stir the carrots, the ginger and the chicken broth into the saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce to medium heat and simmer until the carrots are fully cooked (about 20 min).

Remove from heat. Scoop out and discard the ginger root. Using a food processor (or hand blender), puree the broth and vegetables mixture until smooth.  If using a food processor (preferred), puree in batches.

Allow the yogurt to come to room temperature. Prep it by stirring it until it achieves a soft, creamy consistency. 

I used Greek yogurt since I like that it's more robust--but any unsweetened plain yogurt will work.

Return the puree to the saucepan and stir in the cumin, lemon juice and honey. 

For a smoky twist, you can substitute the honey with maple syrup (I did).

Ladle the soup into bowls. Garnish with a dollop of yogurt and a sprinkling of fresh chopped parsley. Done!

Chasing the Perfect Meatball Soup Recipe

Summer is my kitchen sabbatical. The weather is hot and the simplicity of the outdoor grill beckons. By the time baseball season ends, I've eaten enough grilled meats (and meat byproducts) to go up a full dress size.  Mercifully for my waistline, football eventually replaces baseball, and cooler September temperatures lure me back, ever so gently, to my stove's side.

It invariably begins with a batch of chili--the culinary centerpiece to the annual ritual that always surrounds the first Football Sunday of the season at our house. Before I realize it, the cooking frenzy begins...then the camera comes out...and this little blog comes back to life. 

To celebrate the return of cooking season, I decided to share something new. Something I love to eat but which I'd never tried making in my kitchen. Queue the "Sopa de Albondiga" (i.e., Meatball Soup) recipe. 

There's a cafeteria in the building where I work. Every Thursday, they serve a meatball soup so delicious that people come from all over town just to get a taste. Last Thursday, however,  I got stuck in a meeting and the soup was gone by the time I attempted to claim my share. Gone. Sold out. Vanished. The bell had been rung, and I had turned into a drooling Pavlov dog with an empty food dish.

Unwilling to wait another week to satisfy my meatball soup craving, I began deconstructing its flavor profile in my mind. I was an alchemist conjuring up the magic formula that would allow me to replicate this soup at home, over the weekend.

The result? Success! Not only was it as good as the cafeteria's real deal, but I was able to tweak and season it to suit my palate (and my hubby's) perfectly.

If you too want to taste the savory beefy elixir that is Albondiga Soup, read on for the recipe. It's so easy.

Gather your ingredients

The proportions below yield about 6 main course-sized bowls:

1 lb. lean ground beef
2 small onions, chopped
2-3 medium potatoes, peeled/cubed
1 cup sliced baby carrots
Beef broth (about 3 quarts?)
24 oz. can diced tomatoes, undrained
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1/2 cup white rice
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
5-6 whole cloves of garlic, peeled
3 tablespoons of olive oil
1/4 cup dry white wine
Oregano, thyme and cumin, dried
Fresh parsley, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
Beef bouillon (optional)

Get Cooking

Prep your veggies and you cook the rice according to package instructions. 

Combine the ground beef, breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, fresh parsley, 1 teaspoon dried oregano and 1 teaspoon salt in large bowl. Add half of your cooked rice to the mix and blend well. 

Moisten your hands with water, and shape the ground beef mixture into 1-inch diameter meatballs.

Use olive oil to brown the meatballs in a large Dutch oven pot, then set them aside. Without discarding the oil from the pot after browning the meatballs, pour a generous glug of the white wine to deglaze. Add the tomatoes, carrots, potatoes, onions, and garlic. Throw in some more oregano, dried thyme, and a dash of cumin. 

No need to sauté--simply pour enough beef broth into the pot to submerge all the veggies, and bring to a boil over high heat. Then reduce heat and simmer until all vegetables are cooked, about 20 minutes. 

Carefully drop the meatballs into the broth and bring back to a boil. Gently simmer uncovered for another 15 minutes (or at least until the meatballs are cooked and heated throughly) at low-medium heat. Make sure all ingredients remain fully submerged in the broth as they simmer (add a little extra broth if you need to). 

Stir in the remaining cooked rice and season with salt and pepper to taste. Ladle the soup into bowls, with a sprinkle of chopped fresh parsley and shredded Parmesan. 

Pour a glass of your favorite Cabernet, and serve with baguette bread and butter--it's such a comforting, hearty meal!   

Pantry Queen Tip: 
For an even more robust, beefy flavor, kick it up a notch with some beef bouillon (careful to not overdo or you'll end up with a salty mess!).