Stuffed Pumpkin with Lamb

Ingredients

• Pumpkin 1 piece
• Butter 0 oz
• Lamb 15 oz
• Ground Cumin 1 tablespoon
• Spanish onions 1 head
• Sugar a pinch
• Baking Tomatoes 1 can
• Salt to taste
• Parsley 1 bunch
• Saffron a pinch
• Cilantro 1 bunch

Step-by-Step Guide

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 390°F. Take a small pumpkin (for example, an acorn variety), cut off the top, and use a spoon to thoroughly remove all the seeds from the pumpkin's cavity. Grease the inside flesh with butter, cover the pumpkin with the cut-off top, and place it in the oven for thirty minutes.

Step 2

Trim the lamb (you can use brisket or shoulder) of any membranes and cut off as much excess fat as possible (excess fat can produce an unpleasant odor during roasting), then cut it into small pieces, about 2×2 cm. Slice the onion into half-rings.

Step 3

In a skillet, heat the butter (to prevent it from smoking, you can add about a teaspoon of vegetable oil) and lightly sauté the onion. Add the meat and cook, stirring, for about ten minutes. Add cumin.

Step 4

After a couple of minutes, add a can of peeled and finely chopped canned tomatoes, along with their juice, to the skillet, along with sugar and salt. Stir everything together and simmer for another thirty minutes.

Step 5

When the meat is ready and the sauce has thickened properly, add saffron, finely chopped parsley, and cilantro to the pan, gently stir, and let it cook on the heat for another seven to eight minutes.

Step 6

Remove the skillet with the lamb from the heat and let it cool slightly. Then, carefully stuff the roasted pumpkin with the meat— the filling should fit completely inside the pumpkin so that it can be sealed with a "lid" on top.

Step 7

Reduce the oven temperature to 355°F. Place the stuffed and tightly closed pumpkin on a small baking tray or in a baking dish and put it in the oven for twenty to twenty-five minutes.

Step 8

Remove the cooked pumpkin from the oven and let it cool slightly. You can serve the pumpkin whole or cut it into portions and arrange them on plates. Enjoy the meat alongside the fragrant and tender pumpkin flesh.