Pig in a Pumpkin – Trick and Treat

Okay, so we’re not using a whole pig, but we are using a whole pumpkin, which not only produced some very succulent, flavorful pork, but also made for an absolutely stunning presentation. This looked so good, that many people might think it was faked, which really is the ultimate compliment.

While this would work in any pumpkin, try to find ones sold as “sugar,” or “pie” pumpkins,” since they have a thicker, sweeter flesh, compared to the ornamental ones sold for jack-o'-lantering. I believe the variety I used was called “cannonball,” but simply look for round, heavy-feeling varieties about the size of a volleyball, displayed in the produce department, and not outside, or in front of the store.

As I said in the video, you can season this anyway you want, but regardless of what exactly goes in your gourd, make sure you roast it until the meat is tender. How long will depend on the size of course, so be sure to test the meat as it cooks. The only thing I’d do differently next time, would be to pour in a little more cider after a few hours in the oven, since a lot of it evaporated as it roasted, and I wanted more “sauce” when I was done.

After you remove the meat for service, ladle out all the braising liquid, and let it sit for a few minutes, so you can skim off most of the fat. Thanks to the little bit of flour on the pork, it should have a nice thickness, but you can always adjust that with some more roux. Or, simply make a sauce separately, and then just spike it with your drippings.

Also, if you wanted to add another step, you could use a blender to make a smoother sauce, but I’ll leave that up to you. Either way, if you’re looking for a fun, and very seasonably appropriate way to cook some pork shoulder, I couldn’t think of a better, or more beautiful way, which is why I really hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!


Ingredients for one Pig in a Pumpkin:
1 volleyball-sized cooking pumpkin
3 1/2 to 4 pounds of boneless pork shoulder
1 rounded tablespoon kosher salt (the pumpkin will absorb some of this)
2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon crushed fennel seeds
1 tablespoon freshly chopped rosemary
1/3 cup thinly sliced shallots
- garlic and sage would have also been great here
2 tablespoons flour to coat pork
1 tablespoon olive oil for browning meat
at least 2 cups hard cider, or more if you can fit it in before or during cooking

- I roasted mine at 350 F. for about 4 hours
-->

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Sweet Potato Soufflés – Even Easier Than Easy

Image
Soufflés have always had the reputation for being a difficult, and temperamental thing to make, which I’ve never really understood. As long as you can manage to whip some egg whites, and fold them into your batter without knocking all the air out, there’s really not much that can go wrong.  And that’s with the traditional method, which requires making a saucy base first. These soufflés are even easier than that, since mashed sweet potato is the base. I like to microwave my sweet potatoes, mostly because it’s faster, but you can certainly roast them in a 375 F. oven instead. Just prick them as shown, and bake for as long as it takes to get them very soft. I’d love to give you a time, but that depends on the size. I kept these very plain, so as not to distract you, but you can add all sorts of things. Cheese, bacon, and herbs, just to name a few. And that’s for savory applications, since these will also shine as a dessert. Just add some maple syrup or brown sugar to the mashed potatoes,
Read more

Turkish Stuffed Eggplant (Karniyarik) – Splitting Bellies

Image
“Karniyarik” means “split belly,” which refers to the technique used to stuff them, although depending on the size of your eggplant, it could also refer to you after enjoying this delicious dish. By the way, this was my first time making these, and when I mentioned in the video only doing 15 minutes of research before filming, I wasn’t joking. So, you’ve been warned. Having said that, I thought these came out really well, and I would only tweak a couple minor things next time. I’d sprinkle the insides with salt before stuffing, since there wasn’t enough in my filling to season them to my taste. I’d also toss in some chopped parsley, which would have added a little freshness to the dish, although the dried rosemary did work nicely. Lastly, I’d take the advice I got on Twitter , and serve them with a yogurt sauce, like our famous tzatziki . That would be an amazing condiment for these, since the cold, acidic sauce would be a perfect foil for the rich, aromatic, slightly sweet flavor prof
Read more