It was not for nothing that the pumpkin attributed unusual, truly fabulous qualities to the folklore of different countries. Remember Cinderella in a pumpkin carriage or Pumpkin house in the fairy tale “Chipollino”. Yes, and at the Halloween pumpkin festival is given the main place.
And in all these cases, the pumpkin is used not for its intended purpose, but in the form of a container, vehicle, headgear.
Our ancestors also did not miss this opportunity. But they acted more rationally, turning the pumpkin into a cooking pot. Apparently, this method of use was inspired by the great resemblance of this vegetable with a pot or cast iron. Moreover, the thick bark of pumpkin is so strong that it withstands the heat in the furnace. Therefore, porridges were cooked in a pumpkin, vegetables and meat were extinguished, and casseroles were made.
Now almost every kitchen has an oven. Its roomy inside also allows you to bake the whole pumpkin in it.
Subtleties
- To make the dish of excellent quality, the pumpkin must be ripe. For dessert dishes it is better to take a sweet pumpkin, in other cases its taste does not play a special role.
- Importantly, pay attention to the integrity of the peel. There should not be cuts, dents. Pumpkin should be firm, with elastic bark. If a pumpkin is pressed under pressure, it means that it is not the first freshness, it has been lying for a long time and can be half dried or rotten.
- Preparing a whole pumpkin for baking does not require much effort. Wash pumpkin well, wipe dry. The top of the pumpkin in the stalk cut in the form of a lid. It is desirable that the pumpkin was with a tail - with the help of it you can later easily open the lid.
- Remove the seeds from the pumpkin along with the fibrous pulp that surrounds them. Do not rush to throw them away. When free, rinse them in warm water, dry, and then fry. Such a delicacy can then be added to any salad, pastry or just click for your pleasure.
- If possible, carefully cut off some of the pulp, thereby expanding the inner space of the pumpkin. But do not overdo it: the thickness of the walls must be at least 2, 5-3 cm, otherwise in a baked form the pumpkin may lose shape.
- Prepare the stuffing for stuffing to your liking. It can be rice with apples, raisins and dried apricots, flavored with cinnamon or nutmeg. For meat eaters, a good combination would be meat mixed with onions and pumpkin pulp, cut from the inner walls. If you like cheese, you can use it by adding a little cream and greens.
And now - recipes.
Whole Baked Pumpkin: With Rice and Apples
Ingredients:
- a small pumpkin - 1 pc .;
- rice - 0. 5;
- apples - 3 pcs .;
- plum or sour plums - 1 tbsp .;
- raisins - 0, 5 st .;
- butter - 100 g;
- salt;
- cinnamon - 1 tsp;
- carnation - 2 buds;
- sugar - to taste.
Method of preparation
- Wash a small pumpkin, dry it with a towel. Cut off the top. Take out the seeds through the hole. Carefully cut a piece of flesh with a sharp knife to make a pot with smooth walls about 2.5-3 cm thick.
- Rinse the rice, soak it in warm water for an hour. Bring a large amount of salted water to a boil, put rice in it, boil for 5-10 minutes. Drop the sieve.
- Peel apples and seed chambers, cut into large cubes. If the skin is tender, it can not be cut off.
- Cut the plums in half, remove the bones.
- Raise the raisins, wash, soak in warm water for 15 minutes. Drop the sieve.
- Pumpkin pulp cut from the walls, cut into cubes. Mix with rice, plums, raisins, apples, sugar, cinnamon, cloves and butter.
- Fill the pumpkin. For more juiciness, you can pour 100 ml of water.
- Close the pumpkin with the cut off cap. Put in the oven, preheated to 180-190 °, and bake for 50-60 minutes. Cooking time depends on the size of the pumpkin and its variety. A well-cooked pumpkin will shrivel up a little, will brown and become soft. Therefore, the only way to know the readiness of a dish is to take a sample.
Pumpkin baked whole in the oven: with onions and apples
Ingredients:
- a small pumpkin - 1 pc .;
- onions - 3-4 pcs .;
- peeled walnuts - 1 tbsp .;
- raisins - 2 tbsp .;
- barberries - 0, 5 st .;
- butter - 100 g;
- honey - 2 tbsp. l .;
- cinnamon - 1 tsp.
Method of preparation
- Wash the pumpkin, wipe it dry. Cut off the top in the form of a cap. The hole should be such that a tablespoon can easily pass into it. Take out the seeds, loose flesh. Using a sharp knife, cut off a part of the firm flesh, making the walls a little thinner. Cut it into small cubes.
- Wash the raisins, soak in warm water for 10 minutes, fold to a sieve. Barberry sort, remove the stalk and twigs, wash. Chop walnuts.
- Chop onion finely, save on butter until golden brown.
- Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Fill the pumpkin. Cover the top. Put in the oven, bake 50-60 minutes. After roasting in the pumpkin, add honey.
Pumpkin baked whole in the oven: with meat, mushrooms and potatoes
Ingredients:
- average pumpkin - 1 pc .;
- chicken fillet - 300 g;
- onions - 200 g;
- fresh champignons - 200 g;
- potatoes - 300 g;
- sour cream - 200 g;
- salt;
- garlic - 2 cloves;
- seasoning for potatoes - 1 tsp;
- vegetable oil - 40 g;
- black pepper - 5 peas;
- bay leaf - 1 pc.
Method of preparation
- Wash the pumpkin, wipe dry. Cut off the top in the form of a cap. Take out the seeds and fibrous pulp. Since the filling will be juicy, the walls of the pumpkin can be left thick.
- Cut the chicken into small pieces. Fry in butter until golden brown. Put in a plate.
- On the remaining oil, saute onions and sliced champignons.
- Cut potatoes into cubes, boil until half cooked for 10 minutes in boiling water, mix with potato seasoning and pepper.
- Place half the potatoes on the bottom of the pumpkin. Put meat on it. Cover it with the rest of the potatoes. Put the next layer of mushrooms with onions. Pour in enough hot water to lightly cover the bottom layer of potatoes.
- Mix sour cream with salt and chopped garlic. Pour the mushrooms. Close the cut cover.
- Put the stuffed pumpkin in an oven heated to 180-190 °. Bake for 1 hour.
Pumpkin baked whole in the oven: with cheese
Ingredients:
- a small pumpkin - 1 pc .;
- cream - 0, 5-0, 6 l;
- salt;
- cheese - 500 g;
- nutmeg - pinch;
- butter - 40 g.
- black pepper to taste.
Method of preparation
- Wash the pumpkin, wipe it dry. Cut off the top in the form of a cap. Scrape the seeds together with the fibers. Cut off some of the pulp, making the walls a little thinner. Cut the flesh into small cubes.
- Rub the cheese on a medium grater. Mix with cream and chopped pumpkin. Many recipes say that you need to add a liter of cream. In fact, it all depends on the volume of the pumpkin. If it is small, then 500 ml will be enough (and even less).
- Salt and pepper. Add nutmeg. This spice has a very pronounced smell, so do not overdo it.
- Put a piece of butter. Close the lid.
- Place in an oven heated to 180 degrees. Bake 50-60 minutes until soft pumpkin.
Mistress to note
Many housewives complain that they have a pumpkin cap burned. Therefore, as soon as the cap is covered with a ruddy crust, remove it, and in its place place a piece of foil, bending it downwards. 10-15 minutes before readiness, return the cover to its place.
In order not to burn the bottom of the pumpkin, pour some water on the pan.
The contents of the pumpkin should not reach the very top, otherwise during baking, the liquid may overflow and burn.
For roasting pumpkins, use any stuffing entirely: those products that you would put in a clay pot for cooking them in the oven.
