Cheese Stuffed Pumpkin Slices Recipes

CHEESE-STUFFED PUMPKIN SLICES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and grease with butter.
• Cut the top of the pumpkin off with a large knife and remove all the seeds and pulp. Cut pumpkin into 3- to 4-inch wide segments. Remove skin of pumpkin with a potato peeler or paring knife. Cut into the pumpkin segments with a 2 1/2-inch cookie cutter to make cylinders. Cut cylinders into 1/4-inch slices.
• Place pumpkin slices on the prepared baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil; sprinkle with thyme leaves from 5 sprigs, sea salt, and pepper. Cover with another piece of foil.
• Roast in the preheated oven until softened, about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool for 5 minutes. Leave the oven on.
• Slice mozzarella cheese into 1/4-inch wide pieces and place in between 2 slices of pumpkin. Repeat with remaining pumpkin slices. Top each with Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.
• Return to the oven and continue to roast until cheese melts, about 10 minutes more. Place on a plate and garnish with more thyme.

CHEESE-STUFFED SQUASH BLOSSOMS WITH SHAVED BABY SQUASH AND TOASTED PUMPKIN SEEDS

Steps:

• Stuff squash blossoms:
• Preheat oven to 250°F.
• Toss tomatoes with oil and arrange, cut sides up, in 1 layer in a shallow (1-inch-deep) baking pan. Bake in middle of oven until slightly shriveled but not completely dried or browned, about 1 1/4 hours. Transfer pan to a rack to cool.
• Stir together goat cheese, cream, pumpkin seeds, basil, salt, and pepper in a bowl and fold in half of oven-dried tomatoes.
• Spoon 1 rounded tablespoon of this filling into each blossom and twist ends of petals gently to close. Chill, covered, until ready to fry.
• Prepare vinaigrette and shaved squash:
• Purée vinegar, shallot, oil, pepper, and salt in a blender until smooth and emulsified.
• Slice squash paper-thin (lengthwise) using slicer, then overlap squash slices decoratively on 4 plates to cover surface.
• Make tempura batter and fry blossoms:
• Heat 2 inches of oil in a 3-quart saucepan to 350°F on thermometer.
• Set a bowl in a larger bowl of ice and cold water, then whisk together flour and salt in smaller bowl. Then whisk in sparkling water until combined well.
• Working in batches of 3, coat blossoms in batter, lifting each out by its stem and letting excess drip off, then fry, turning, until batter is crisp (it will not brown), 1 to 1 1/2 minutes. Transfer blossoms as fried with a slotted spoon to paper towels, drain, then season with salt.
• Assemble plates:
• Drizzle vinaigrette over squash slices, then arrange 3 fried blossoms in middle of each plate. Sprinkle remaining oven-dried tomatoes, pumpkin seeds, and basil around blossoms and season with salt and pepper.

SPINACH-STUFFED PUMPKINS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Cut off tops and remove seeds from pumpkins. Coat the insides with butter, and season with salt and pepper. Replace lids. Place in a shallow baking dish with a small amount of water to prevent bottoms from scorching during cooking.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until insides have darkened yet outsides remain firm. Meanwhile, small saucepan, stir softened cream cheese into spinach until melted and well-blended.
• Fill pumpkins with spinach mixture, and top each with a slice of cheese. Return to the oven for 3 minutes to melt cheese if serving immediately. Pumpkins may be covered and refrigerated at this point until ready to serve. May be reheated in the microwave for 2 minutes.

PUMPKIN STUFFED WITH EVERYTHING GOOD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees with a rack set in the center of the oven. Line a baking sheet with a nonstick baking mat or use a Dutch oven that is slightly larger in diameter than your pumpkin (in which case, you will need to serve your pumpkin from the Dutch oven, as it may stick, but it will keep its shape better this way).
• Using a sharp, sturdy knife, cut off top of pumpkin, working around the top with the knife inserted at a 45-degree angle to cut off enough to make it easy to work inside the pumpkin; reserve top. Remove seeds and strings from cap and pumpkin. Season inside of pumpkin generously with salt and pepper. Place on prepared baking sheet or in Dutch oven; set aside.
• In a large bowl, toss together bread, cheese, garlic, bacon, chives, and thyme until well combined. Pack into pumpkin; it should be well filled but not overstuffed. You may need to add some bread and cheese or some of the filling may not be necessary to use. In a small bowl, stir cream and nutmeg to combine. Pour over filling; filling should be moist but not swimming in cream -- you may need to use more or less accordingly.
• Place top on pumpkin and transfer to oven; cook until filling is bubbling and pumpkin flesh is tender, about 1 hour and 30 minutes. Remove top and continue baking until liquid is slightly evaporated and top of filling is browned, 20 to 30 minutes more.
• Carefully transfer pumpkin to a serving platter (or serve in Dutch oven, if using) and serve.