Turkey Stock For Stuffed Pumpkin Recipes

TURKEY STOCK

Steps:

• Combine turkey carcass, onions, carrots, celery, green bell pepper, garlic, chicken bouillon cubes, peppercorns, and bay leaves in a stockpot; pour in enough water to cover. Bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until flavors blend, about 1 hour. Remove stockpot from heat and let sit for 15 minutes. Strain stock through a cheese cloth and discard solids.

TURKEY IN BAKED PUMPKIN

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Cut a slice off the top of the pumpkins or squash to make a lid, then scrape out the seeds and stringy fibers from the pumpkin and lid. Season the inside with salt and pepper and place a tablespoon of butter inside each pumpkin. Place the pumpkins and lids on a baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes.
• Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over moderate heat and saute the turkey cubes until they are golden on all sides. Use a slotted spoon or tongs to transfer the turkey to a plate and cover loosely. In the remaining fat, saute the onion and Poblanos with the salt and pepper until onions are soft, 35 minutes. Add the tomato and cook 20 minutes. Add the wine and reduce by half. Add the turkey, along with the stock. Bring mixture to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes.
• Add the potatoes and parsnips and simmer for 20 minutes. Add the corn and stir well to combine. Remove from the heat and add the pears, apricots and chives. Adjust the seasoning. Add the rice. Transfer the contents of the saucepan to the pumpkin, filling the pumpkin and replacing the lid. Return to the oven and bake for 50 minutes, or until the rice is cooked.
• To serve, transfer the pumpkin to a serving platter and carefully spoon the stew directly from the pumpkin into individual shallow bowls. Watch that the pumpkin shell does not break when scooping. The pumpkin will be very soft inside and mash into the sauce to thicken it a little.

PUMPKIN STUFFING

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F
• Cut pumpkin in half, and then cut each half into several pieces. Place the pumpkin on a baking sheet and roast until tender, about 30 minutes. Let cool, peel away skin, and dice. Lower oven temperature to 350 degrees F.
• In a large skillet, melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Add onion, celery, thyme, and sage, and saute for 5 minutes or until tender. Season, to taste, with salt and cracked black pepper.
• Meanwhile, crumble the stale cornbread into a large bowl. Add sauteed vegetables to the corn bread crumbs. Stir in remaining 1 tablespoon butter, beaten egg, and roasted pumpkin and mix well. Then add the chicken stock and mix well.
• Transfer stuffing into a medium-sized casserole dish. Bake for 45 minutes.
• To serve, cut stuffing into squares and garnish with a couple sprigs of parsley.

TURKEY STOCK FOR STUFFED PUMPKIN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a large roasting pan, combine turkey gizzards and neck with white onions and garlic. Drizzle with olive oil and toss to coat. Spread in an even layer and roast until meat and vegetables are very brown, tossing occasionally, about 1 hour.
• Transfer contents of roasting pan to a large pot. Add carrots, parsley, mushrooms, sage, and enough water to just cover (2 to 3 quarts). Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 1 hour. Strain stock through a fine sieve lined with four layers of cheesecloth; discard solids. (At this point, stock can be cooled completely and refrigerated up to 1 week or frozen up to 3 months in an airtight container; thaw in the refrigerator before using.)
• Heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium. Saute red onion until completely soft and caramelized, stirring occasionally, about 12 minutes. Add strained stock and the thyme and cook at a bare simmer for 20 minutes. Strain stock again through a fine sieve and discard solids. Season with salt and pepper. (Stock can be allowed to cool and then refrigerated in an airtight container up to 1 day; reheat over medium before serving.)

SAVORY STUFFED PUMPKIN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. In a large skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Add the soup, mushrooms, soy sauce and brown sugar. Simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the rice and water chestnuts. , Wash pumpkin; cut a 6-in. circle around stem. Remove top and set aside. Discard seeds and loose fibers from the inside. Spoon beef mixture into pumpkin; replace top. , Place in a greased 15x10x1-in. baking pan. Rub oil over outside of pumpkin. Bake, uncovered, until pumpkin is tender, 1-1/2 hours. Scoop out some pumpkin with each serving of beef mixture.

STUFFED PUMPKIN

Steps:

• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Cut the top off the pumpkin or squash and use a metal spoon to scoop out the seeds. Get rid of any pithy bits but keep the seeds for another time (see our pumpkin seed recipe ideas). Put the pumpkin on a baking tray, rub with 2 tbsp of the oil inside and out, and season well. Roast in the centre of the oven for 45 mins or until tender, with the 'lid' on the side.
• Meanwhile, rinse the wild rice well and cook following pack instructions, then spread out on a baking tray to cool. Thinly slice the fennel bulb and apple, then squeeze over ½ the lemon juice to stop them discolouring.
• Heat the remaining 2 tbsp oil in a frying pan. Fry the fennel seeds and chilli flakes, then, once the seeds begin to pop, stir in ½ the garlic and the fennel. Cook for 5 mins until softened, then mix through the apple, pecans and lemon zest. Remove from the heat. Add the mixture to the the cooked rice, then stir in the chopped parsley and taste for seasoning.
• Pack the mixture into the cooked pumpkin and return to the oven for 10-15 mins until everything is piping hot. Meanwhile, whisk the remaining lemon juice with the tahini, the rest of the garlic and enough water to make a dressing. Serve the pumpkin in the middle of the table, topped with pomegranate seeds and the dressing.

PUMPKIN STUFFED WITH EVERYTHING GOOD

Steps:

• As written:.
• Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment, or find a Dutch oven with a diameter that's just a tiny bit larger than your pumpkin. If you bake the pumpkin in a casserole, it will keep its shape, but it might stick to the casserole, so you'll have to serve it from the pot - which is an appealingly homey way to serve it. If you bake it on a baking sheet, you can present it freestanding, but maneuvering a heavy stuffed pumpkin with a softened shell isn't so easy. However, since I love the way the unencumbered pumpkin looks in the center of the table, I've always taken my chances with the baked-on-a-sheet method, and so far, I've been lucky.
• Using a very sturdy knife - and caution - cut a cap out of the top of the pumpkin (think Halloween jack-o'-lantern). It's easiest to work your knife around the top of the pumpkin at a 45-degree angle. You want to cut off enough of the top to make it easy for you to work inside the pumpkin. Clear away the seeds and strings from the cap and from inside the pumpkin. Season the inside of the pumpkin generously with salt and pepper, and put it on the baking sheet or in the pot. Toss the bread, cheese, garlic, bacon, and herbs together in a bowl. Season with pepper - you probably have enough salt from the bacon and cheese, but taste to be sure - and pack the mix into the pumpkin. The pumpkin should be well filled - you might have a little too much filling, or you might need to add to it. Stir the cream with the nutmeg and some salt and pepper and pour it into the pumpkin. Again, you might have too much or too little - you don't want the ingredients to swim in cream, but you do want them nicely moistened. (But it's hard to go wrong here.).
• Put the cap in place and bake the pumpkin for about 2 hours - check after 90 minutes - or until everything inside the pumpkin is bubbling and the flesh of the pumpkin is tender enough to be pierced easily with the tip of a knife. Because the pumpkin will have exuded liquid, I like to remove the cap during the last 20 minutes or so, so that the liquid can bake away and the top of the stuffing can brown a little.
• When the pumpkin is ready, carefully, very carefully - it's heavy, hot, and wobbly - bring it to the table or transfer it to a platter that you'll bring to the table.
• Serving:.
• You have choices:you can cut wedges of the pumpkin and filling; you can spoon out portions of the filling, making sure to get a generous amount of pumpkin into the spoonful; or you can dig into the pumpkin with a big spoon, pull the pumpkin meat into the filling, and then mix everything up. I'm a fan of the pull-and-mix option. Served in hearty portions followed by a salad, the pumpkin is a perfect cold-weather main course; served in generous spoonfuls or wedges, it's just right alongside the Thanksgiving turkey.
• Storing:.
• It's really best to eat this as soon as it's ready. However, if you've got leftovers, you can scoop them out of the pumpkin, mix them up, cover, and chill them; reheat them the next day.
• Greenspan's Stuffing Ideas:.
• There are many ways to vary this arts-and-crafts project. Instead of bread, I've filled the pumpkin with cooked rice - when it's baked, it's almost risotto-like. And, with either bread or rice, on different occasions I've added cooked spinach, kale, chard, or peas (the peas came straight from the freezer). I've made it without bacon, and I've also made and loved, loved, loved it with cooked sausage meat; cubes of ham are another good idea. Nuts are a great addition, as are chunks of apple or pear or pieces of chestnut.

STUFFED PUMPKIN

Steps:

• Cut a slit in each chestnut with scissors or a paring knife. Cook chestnuts in a pot of boiling water for 20 minutes, then drain in a colander. When cool enough to handle, peel off and discard shells and inner brown skins.
• Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large saute pan over medium high until shimmering. Saute chestnuts, stirring occasionally, until they begin to brown. With a slotted spoon, transfer chestnuts to a plate. Add both mushrooms to skillet and saute, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms release their juices and begin to turn golden, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl and season with salt. Add bread cubes, and toss to mix.
• Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in same pan over medium high. Add carrots, onions, celery, sweet potato, and garlic; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables begin to brown, about 10 minutes. Add stock and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes. Transfer contents of pan to bread mixture along with the chestnuts. Add apples, herbs, and another 3 tablespoons olive oil. Toss well and season stuffing with salt and pepper, then mix in the eggs.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Remove top of pumpkin by cutting a circle about 5 inches in diameter around stem with a paring knife: reserve top. Scrape out and discard seeds and stringy flesh from pumpkin. Rub inside of pumpkin with remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Spoon stuffing into pumpkin and replace top. Bake stuffed pumpkin on a rimmed baking sheet until pumpkin is tender when pierced with a skewer, 1 1/2 to 2 hours. (Do not overcook pumpkin or the side may split.) To serve, remove top and scoop out stuffing and some pumpkin flesh with a large spoon.

NEO-CLASSICAL THANKSGIVING DRESSING WITH APRICOTS AND PRUNES, STUFFED IN A WHOLE PUMPKIN

Steps:

• Cut off and reserve a lid, as you would preparatory to carving a jack-o'-lantern. Scoop out all of the seeds and fibers. Put an inch or two of water in a large pot. Place the pumpkin, cut side down, in the water, cap wedged in near it. Bring to a boil over high heat. Cover tightly and team for 10 to 15 minutes to precook slightly. Remove the pot from the heat and let cool. When cool, remove from the pot. Since the pumpkin will be eaten with the stuffing, I like to season the inside with salt, pepper, a little tamari, Pickapeppa, and brown sugar, rubbing this into the exposed interior flesh after steaming.
• 1. Place the apricots and prunes in a small, heatproof bowl. Place the apple juice in a small saucepan over high heat and bring to a boil. Immediately pour the juice over the dried fruit. Let stand for at least 2 hours, but overnight or a day or two in advance is fine. Drain the dried fruit, reserving both the fruit and the soaking liquid. Coarsely chop the fruit and set aside.
• 2. Preheat the oven to 375°F, then turn down to 200°F.
• 3. Set a wire rack on a baking sheet and place a single layer of bread slices on the rack. Place in the preheated oven and bake, slowly, turning once, until the bread is hard, crunchy, and dry all the way through, but not browned. This is a fairly slow process - it might take 45 to 60 minutes, but set the timer at 20-minute intervals to remind you to check. You with either need to do 2 sheets' worth of bread (in which case, reverse their positions in the oven halfway through), or repeat the toasting process again until all bread is prepared. Remove the dry bread from the oven and let cool.
• 4. Coarsely crumble the bread into a large bowl. Add the onion and leafy celery and toss to combine. Measure the sage (starting with the smaller amount) into your hands and rub the leaves back and forth in your palms until they crumble (this releases the volatile essential oils). Add the sage to the bread mixture. Pour the melted butter over the mixture and toss well to combine. Add the soaked dried fruit and toss again. The dressing should still be dry. Begin adding the liquid, a combination of vegetable stock and the reserved fruit soaking liquid. Use more stock than juice, and use just enough to moisten the dressing without making it soggy. Keep tossing, adding stock as needed. Add tamari, starting with about 1 tablespoon. Taste for salt and add it and plenty of pepper to taste. More sage, maybe? This is also the point at which you can add a little dried basil and oregano, too, if you like. The stuffing can be prepared up to this point and stored, covered and refrigerated, overnight.
• 5. On the day you plan to stuff the pumpkin, preheat the oven to 375°F.
• 6. If not using nonstick, spray a baking dish large enough to accommodate the pumpkin with cooking spray.
• 7. Stuff the dressing into the cavity of the prepared pumpkin, topping with the pumpkin's cap. Place the stuffed pumpkin in the prepared baking dish. Place in the preheated oven and bake until the pumpkin is slightly brown and looks a bit collapsed in on itself, or, as Ned says, like a plump European duchess, about 40 minutes. Serve whole, at the table.

HOMEMADE TURKEY STOCK

Steps:

• Place all ingredients in a stockpot. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 1-1/2 hours., Discard turkey carcass. Cool broth 1 hour. Strain through a cheesecloth-lined colander; discard vegetables and herbs. If using immediately, skim fat from broth; or refrigerate 8 hours or overnight, then remove fat from surface. Broth can be frozen up to 2-3 months.