1 medium pumpkin (about 8" diameter)
2 Tablespoon brown sugar
1 Tablespoon olive oil
2 onions, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 cup ground lamb
½ cup pinenuts
½ cup slivered almonds
1 cup dates, chopped
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 cups cooked rice (see note)
salt, pepper
Special equipment
an ungreased iron skillet
Method
Cut the top off the pumpkin and set it to the side. Scoop out the seeds and fiber; discard. Coat the inside of the pumpkin with the brown sugar. Lightly brown the onions in oil; add garlic, meat and brown them. Toast the pinenuts on the stovetop in ungreased iron pan over medium heat, stirring frequently until they begin to brown; remove; now toast the almonds in the pan until brown. The two different nuts cook at very different rates. If you try to cook them together, the pinenuts will probably burn. Add the nuts, dates, cinnamon and rice to the meat. Add salt and pepper to taste. Fill pumpkin and bake at 350° for about an hour and a half or until the pumpkin begins to soften or brown.
The original source for this recipe has since been lost.
Suggestions
While it may be tempting to adjust the recipe for individual presentation in acorn squash or another small gourd, adjusting baking time up or down depending on the density of the squash (the sole acorn squash test run required more time; we cannot make any recommendations on other gourds), we heartily disadvise the substitution. While the individual presentation may be terrific, it requires a lot more prep work, oven real estate, and shopping for consistent gourd sizes. Whether you're cooking for four or forty, stick with the original pumpkin-container recipe.
