We’ve had plenty of responses to Friday’s post about the Stuffed Pumpkin from Dorie Greenspan’s Around My French Table. My daughter told me that Dorie is being interviewed on NPR about recipes from this new gem of a book. And Dorie has talked about this pumpkin recipe and the next one I’ll be blogging on: the French version of Sheppard’s Pie.
I invite you to go to NPR.ORG, enter Dorie Greenspan in the search box, and listen to her interviews about her recipes including this pumpkin. She’s devoted to this recipe, not as an exacting standard, but for it’s versatility. Her recipe calls for bacon but suggests you can substitute sausage, change the cheese, augment the herbs, … Suzen used some local, fresh chorizo and the result was awesome. Spicy and sublime.
Thanksgiving always presents that cooking challenge: do the standard or something new. One year, Suzen asked me if I go forgo the mashed potatoes. A terse letter from my attorney ended that nonsense. She and I are now in complete culinary agreement. So, we’ll be having mashed potatoes and this pumpkin.
My daughter Kelly is cooking for a crowd and asked for pumpkin advice. We told her that for 8 people, she needs two pumpkins, not one big one. The cooking time and texture are going to vary signficantly with pumpkin size. If you are going to try this stuffed pumpkin, then follow Dorie’s suggestion to use a 3-pound pumpkin for 2-4 people.
The rest of this week, I’ll be blogging holiday foods and beverages. You’ll have plenty of time to savor, plan, and be ready for Thanksgiving.