Every year, I see more and more potimarron pumpkins available in the stores. In fact, the colorful heirloom pumpkins now seem more common than the common ones. I remember when I was a kid, there seemed to be only one kind of pumpkin, invariably orange and usually a specific size.
I discovered the potimarron (a.k.a. kuri) pumpkins a few years ago and haven’t looked back since. I like the fact that they have a thin skin, which makes them easy to cut. They are almost red and have a lovely teardrop shape. Best of all, the flesh is tasty. They tend to be a manageable size, making them perfect for stuffing—what this post is all about.
I’ve played around with stuffing pumpkins before, though I haven’t written anything about it. The reason is that I felt my previous experimentations had been nothing to write home about. Of course, with experimentation comes success. Working with this a couple of times (I wouldn’t call them failures) means getting the flavor profiles and cooking times right to develop a successful recipe. This time, I felt I got it right.
The hardest part is figuring out how much filling to make. Pumpkins do vary in size, so my medium-sized pumpkin is likely to be different than yours. I got close by getting the seeds out, then measuring how much water it took to fill it. That said, I still had filling left over, but it in itself makes a delicious side dish for a meal later in the week. This lasts for about 3 days, and the flavors blend and improve with that little bit of time, too.
I wanted to make this as complete a meal as possible, so I added chicken-apple sausage. I boiled it first to plump it up, then gave it a golden brown skin to amp the flavor.
The pumpkin is slightly sweet and creamy when cooked to perfection, so I needed to play up that sweetness. I added a yam/sweet potato to help that along, and furthered it with a handful of dried cranberries.
I like a little heat with my savory-sweet, so I added a good dash of cayenne pepper—perfection.
Lastly, you can make this vegan by using a non-meat sausage. I know they are working wonders with vegan foods these days, so improvise with those and veggie broth.
Barley Stuffed Pumpkin
Ingredients
- 1 medium-sized potimarron pumpkin, seeds scraped out
- ½ cup barley
- 1-½ cups chicken or vegetable stock
- 2 chicken apple sausages, cooked and chopped
- 1 orange yam (sweet potato)
- ½ Tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 large shallot, minced
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
- 1 tsp sage, finely chopped
- ½ tsp fresh chopped parsley
- 1 small handful of dried cranberries
- A good dash of cayenne pepper
- Cooking spray for the pan
You’ll need to get the seeds out of the pumpkin first, so carefully cut a round ’lid’ out of the top of the pumpkin. I found it easiest to use my hands to get the seeds out, then scrape the sides with a spoon to remove any strings. Thankfully, the strings aren’t tough, so if you miss a few, they’ll be fine when cooked.
To cook, start with the yam (sweet potato):
Wrap in foil and bake at 375º F for 1 hour. Set aside to cool when done. Once cooled, unpeel the skin and dice the flesh.
Meanwhile, rinse the barley in a sieve under cold water and drain.
Place it in a saucepan with the chicken or veggie broth, then bring to a boil. Lower the heat to low and cook covered for approximately 30 minutes. Once done, set aside for 5 minutes, then fluff with a fork. Set aside.
Fill a small frying pan halfway with water and cook the sausages on medium heat (if precooked) until plump. Then remove the water and add vegetable oil to the pan. Brown the sausages on all sides, turning them until all sides are nicely browned, then remove from the pan and set aside. Chop when cool enough to handle.
Preheat oven to 350º F.
Using the oil that should still be in the frying pan, add the shallot, garlic, thyme, sage, and parsley, and sauté for a couple of minutes until soft. Next, stir in the barley, sausage pieces, and cranberries. Lastly, gently fold in the diced yam and cayenne pepper until everything is evenly incorporated.
Taste and adjust seasoning if needed. I used salted chicken broth, so I didn’t need any salt. It really depends on what you use. Once satisfied with the seasoning, spoon the barley into the pumpkin shell, top it, and transfer it to a lightly oiled pan coated with cooking spray.
Bake for about 1-½ hours or until the pumpkin shell is fork-tender.
Allow to cool for 10 minutes, then cut into quarters and serve. This goes great with an apple or pear salad.
