
Stuffed Pumpkin with Rice
Ingredients
- 3 medium Pie Pumpkins
- 1 lb. Ground Beef
- 1 large Onion chopped
- 1½ cups Frozen Peas & Carrots
- 2 cups Basmati Rice
- 2 tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil for rubbing the pumpkin
- ¼ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil for the onion and vegetables
- 2 tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil for the meat
- 2 tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil for toasting the chestnuts and mixed nuts
- 3½-4 cups Water or Beef Stock
Spices
- 1 tbsp. All Spice
- 1 tbsp. Seven Spice
- ¼ tsp. Cinnamon
- ¼ tsp. Cardamom
- ¼ tsp. Nutmeg
- Salt & Pepper to taste
- 3 Bay Leaves
Garnish
- 2-3 packs Tazah Chestnuts
- 1 cup Mixed Nuts
- 1/2 cup Dried Berries of choice
Instructions
For the Pumpkin
- Preheat oven to 350°F .
- Cut a 3-inch circle around each pumpkin and remove strings and seeds from the pumpkins.
- Rub outside of pumpkin in 2 tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Bake the pumpkins for about 45 mins or until golden brown (time may vary depending on pumpkin size).
For the Rice
- In a large pan, add ¼ cup oil and cook onion about 10 minutes or until soften and tender. Add in frozen peas and carrots and cook for 5 minutes.
- In another pan, add olive oil and ground beef and cook over medium heat for about 6-8 minutes.
- Season the meat with 7 spices, all spice, cinnamon, cardamom and nutmeg, salt and pepper and mix well.
- Add meat to the vegetable pan, stir in rice, water or beef stock, bay leaves and grate more nutmeg, stir to combine.
- On high heat bring to a boil, then cover and reduce the heat to low and simmer (about 20 minutes or until rice is fully cooked)
- Cover the pan using kitchen towel and set aside about 10 minutes.
For the Garnish
- In another pan, heat 2 tbsp. olive oil over medium heat.
- Add Tazah chestnuts and toast them for about 2-3 mins.
- Transfer the chestnuts to a bowl and set aside.
- In the same pan, add the nuts and toast them until they are golden, transfer them to the bowl.
To finish
- Stuff the rice in the pumpkins.
- Bake at 350°F for another 20-30 minutes or until the pumpkins are fully tender.
- Garnish the rice with toasted chestnuts, mixed nuts, and dried berries.
- Enjoy!
Notes
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