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Stewing

Year before last when we grew our own pumpkins I went on the hunt for beyond the bread and pie recipes.  I always heard of the pumpkin soup recipe that you cooked and served in a hollowed out pumpkin shell.
 
“…….And there he kept her very well.”
 
Well I’m not Peter Peter the Pumpkin Eater and I have also read about all the disasters that can happen when you cook your soups and stews in a pumpkin shell.  So I decided to leave that daring feat for the more adventurous Martha types.
I did find the most amazing stew recipe from BHG and every time it’s served my dining guests are left wanting more.
 
 
Last weekend we hosted a leaders meeting for the youth group we work with at church.  The weather was just starting to chill and I had planned to warm everyone up with this stew (and chili for the less adventurous.)
Everyone was surprised that I was actually cooking the mini pumpkins and that they were to eat them.  This was when I once more stepped on to my pumpkin soapbox  and professed the amazingness of this food.  If you decorate with your food, make sure you eat it before it rots!
I love the taste and texture of the mini pumpkins in the stew.  The shell becomes very tender and adds so much flavor.  The recipe gives you lots of options and substitutions.  I used both mini pumpkins and pumpkin puree (frozen in my fridge from last years pumpkin put up NOT FROM A CAN).  The puree helps give the beef stock the thicker stew quality while the mini pumpkins are cute and unexpected.
Both parsnips and carrots are my choice for aesthetics as well as taste.  The fennel seeds give the stew a very aromatic sense while the apple cider and cider vinegar really make the stew with that tangy sweetness.
I love this recipe because its a tasty variation to the typical beef stew.  It’s special for this time of the season when you wonder what in the world can I cook with all of these pumpkins I have laying around. 
 
This was the last bowl.  When Ben saw me eating it he frowned and said, “you’ll have to make that again soon when there aren’t a lot of people around to eat it all.”  If that’s not a glowing recommendation I don’t know what is.



More Blog Articles From Arkansas Women Bloggers on our Fall Blogging Challenge.

3 comments

  1. Gina says:

    What an interesting recipe! I'll be giving this a try this fall. I'm looking for ways to incorporate pumpkin into more stuff.

  2. Amanda says:

    I always wondered if those little pumpkins were edible – now I have to buy some, decorate, and then try it!

    Do you have any suggestions about picking a “good” mini pumpkin (besides the obvious “not looking rotten)?

    So glad to have discovered you through Arkansas Women Bloggers!

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