Kitchen Adventures: Everything Pumpkin

I've been obsessed with apples, kale and of course pumpkin the last few weeks. What little extra energy I have has been devoted to making apple crisp, kale chips, and everything pumpkin: pumpkin soup, pumpkin biscuits, pumpkin-pie oatmeal, etc. I think being pregnant has made me even more enthusiastic about fall-themed foods than usual. I even gave in to a couple of cravings for pumpkin-spice frappucinos on some recent warm days.

I bought a pie pumpkin on impulse a few weeks ago. It was nice decoration on the dining room table, but I started feeling like I should actually cook it since I had spent money on an edible pumpkin (and an organic one, at that). So, I embarked on my most labor-intensive pumpkin-related undertaking so far: Pumpkin Stuffed with Everything Good.

All cleaned out. It's been a while since I've carved a pumpkin, and I forgot what a pain it is to get all of those seeds and slimy strings out.

Fun things for inside the pumpkin: stale sourdough, prosciutto, shallots, sage and aged cheddar.

Stuffed and ready to bake (in my favorite orange pot, of course).

Time to eat! With sage-lemon roasted chicken and sauteed kale.

The thing is, pumpkin doesn't actually taste that good unless it's pureed and combined with lots of spices and/or sugar and/or fat. The stuffing in this recipe is good, and baking it in a pumpkin looks cool, but I wouldn't say it's worth the work of messing with the pumpkin. I'll stick with tastier and slightly easier to work with butternut, acorn and spaghetti squash (and canned pumpkin) for the rest of this fall.