Stuffed pumpkin - general principles and methods of preparation
Pumpkin is an excellent basis for preparing delicious, nutritious and healthy dishes. The high content of vitamins and minerals makes this product a frequent guest on tables in different countries of the world.
The pumpkin can be fried, baked, dried, it makes delicious cereals, but the stuffed pumpkin baked in the oven becomes a real culinary masterpiece. The filling for the orange fruit can be very different - mushrooms, meat, vegetables, cereals, apples, dried fruits, beans and other ingredients. To make the dish juicy and aromatic, the filling is supplemented with sauce or sour cream.
Stuffed Pumpkin - Preparing Food
The pumpkin does not require special preparation before cooking, it is enough to thoroughly wash and peel the seeds and pulp (this is a young fruit). In the event that the pumpkin is torn from the garden a long time, before proceeding with the preparation of the dish, the skin should be removed from it. Depending on the filling, the hostess selects the products and processes them accordingly, for example, boils and fries the mushrooms, pours dried fruit with boiling water and gives time to swell them.
Stuffed Pumpkin - Best Recipes
Recipe 1: Stuffed Pumpkin with Chicken and Mushrooms
A hearty and nutritious meal is suitable for special occasions and a traditional family dinner.
Ingredients:
- 1 pumpkin (medium size);
- 1 chicken breast;
- 2 potatoes;
- 300 grams of mushrooms;
- 1 bell pepper;
- 1 onion;
- 1 small zucchini;
- 2/3 glasses of milk;
- ½ cup cream;
- 100 grams of cheese;
- 1 tablespoon butter;
- 3 cloves of garlic;
- vegetable oil for frying;
- salt;
- spices.
Cooking method
Peel the pumpkin so that the walls of the fetus are no more than 2-3 centimeters thick, after removing the top (do not throw it away! It will be used as a cover).
The pumpkin inside should be grated with garlic, greased with oil, add a little water and put in the oven for a short time, so that it becomes softer.
Separately, fry the ingredients for the filling in vegetable oil: mushrooms, zucchini, pumpkin pulp, potatoes, onions and chicken pieces. After the filling is ready, add cream and milk, simmer everything for 7-10 minutes.
Start the pumpkin, which has already languished in the oven, with the prepared mixture, close the pumpkin with a “lid”, put in the oven for 20-30 minutes (the temperature should not be too high). Fill the dish with cheese a few minutes before cooking and let it melt.
Recipe 2: Stuffed Armenian Pumpkin (Hapala)
Armenians know a lot about culinary, an example of this is a beautiful stuffed pumpkin, this dish is called hapala in his homeland.
Ingredients:
- 1 pumpkin (weight 1.5 kilograms);
- 100 grams of butter;
- 100 grams of rice;
- 100 grams of cherry plum;
- 50 grams of sugar;
- ½ cup raisins;
- 2-3 apples;
- cinnamon;
- salt.
Cooking method
Prepare a pumpkin (wash, cut off the top, clean from the insides, rinse with cold water). Next, proceed to the preparation of the filling.
Remove pumpkin seeds, chop the flesh, add boiled rice (do not digest! Until half-cooked!), Send raisins scalded with boiling water, finely chopped apples, plum, plums, cinnamon and salt. Start the pumpkin, place it on a piece of food paper and place in the oven. After some time, the pumpkin will begin to burn a little on top, at this point it is necessary to put foil or paper on it, previously moistened with water.
The finished dish is served hot, poured with ghee.
Recipe 3: Pumpkin Stuffed with Porridge
Pumpkin with porridge is a traditional dish that our ancestors cooked in the oven. The modern mistress of the oven, as a rule, does not, but an oven is suitable for baking.
Ingredients:
- 1 pumpkin (1.5 kilograms);
- 300 grams of beef;
- 200 grams of buckwheat;
- 1 onion;
- 100 grams of sour cream;
- 4 boiled eggs;
- 30 grams of butter;
- greens (dill, parsley);
- spices;
- salt.
Cooking method
Cut the top of the pumpkin, clean from the insides, rinse. Cut the pulp into small pieces, boil buckwheat, fry the onion and beef slices in oil, pre-add salt and spices, simmer until tender.
Mix the beef and pumpkin slices, cooked with buckwheat, add chopped boiled eggs and greens, season the filling with sour cream.
We start the pumpkin, close it with the top and place it in the oven. Cook until the pumpkin is soft (check with a match). Since the juice from the pumpkin will stand out intensely, the vegetable should first be placed on a baking sheet or in a large deep bowl.
Recipe 4: Pumpkin Stuffed with Apples and Prunes
It is not necessary to stuff the pumpkin with meat, it goes well with sweet foods, for example, dried fruits, nuts and apples.
Ingredients:
- 1 pumpkin;
- 1 cup prunes (pitted);
- 1 cup walnuts;
- 3 apples;
- ½ cup raisins;
- 1/3 cup rice;
- 200 grams of cream or sour cream;
- 100 grams of butter;
- cinnamon;
- sugar;
- salt.
Cooking method
Prepare the pumpkin for stuffing (cut off the top, remove the pulp).
Boil the rice until half cooked, cut the flesh of the pumpkin into cubes, raisins and prunes thoroughly washed and dried with a towel. Cut the apples into strips, add the nuts (it is not worth chopping strongly, just break into quarters). Mix everything, season with sugar, salt and cinnamon.
We stuff the pumpkin, add a little water and pieces of butter. After the fruit is ready for baking, it should be greased with oil and put in the oven. The cooking process takes place on low heat for half an hour.
Sweet pumpkin with sour cream or whipped cream is served.
Stuffed Pumpkin - Tips from Experienced Cooks
- It is important to choose the right pumpkin, it should be elastic and orange, you should not take too large fruits, the smaller the pumpkin, the more juicy and tasty it is.
- It is preferable to take summer varieties of pumpkin, they are more suitable for stuffing.
- The readiness of the pumpkin is checked with a toothpick or match, can also be determined by smell and glossy surface.
- Carefully remove the pumpkin from the oven, especially if it is in foil, the fruit comes from the juices during cooking, you can get very burned.
Comments
