Baked Pumpkin with Quinoa Stuffing
Print the recipe here.
Ingredients
1 cups quinoa
4 tablespoons ghee or sesame oil
Pink salt to taste
1 cup diced carrots
1 cup diced celery
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage
1/2 cup dried red cranberries
1/2 cup dried currants
2 cup toasted hazelnuts with the skins removed
1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg + a pinch
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon + a pinch
1/2 teaspoon cardamom + a pinch
1/4 teaspoon clove + a pinch
freshly ground black pepper
1 medium small pumpkin, with the top cut off and the seeds and membranes removed
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 tablespoon sesame seed olive oil, for brushing
DIRECTIONS
Adjust a rack to the middle shelf of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F.
Brush the skin of the squash lightly with oil.
Mix 1 tablespoon of sesame oil and the maple syrup with a pinch of each of the spices. using your hand, coat the inside of the the pumpkin. Place cut side down, in a baking pan
Pour ½-inch of boiling water into the pan and bake for 20 minutes (you want the pumpkin to have softened slightly, but not completely). Transfer the squash to a plate and let rest until cool enough to handle.
Rinse the quinoa and mix it with the water and the veg broth and cook until fluffy, 15 to 20 minutes.
While the quinoa cooks, heat the sesame oil or ghee in a saucepan over medium heat. add the spices and let them open then add the carrots, celery, ginger, and sage and 1/2 tsp salt.
Cover the pan and simmer until the vegetables are tender, 5 to 7 minutes (add a tablespoon of water, if necessary, to prevent scorching.)
In a large bowl, toss together the quinoa and vegetables. Stir in the dried fruit, hazelnuts, season with salt and pepper.
Transfer the pumpkin to a plate and let rest until cool enough to handle.
Stuff the pumpkin with the quinoa mixture and return, stuffing-up, to the pan, and bake until the flesh can be easily pierced with the tip of a paring knife, 20 to 30 minutes.