Mac used a pumpkin for this recipe but you could use Amber Cup or Cushaw squash. The flavors from the pumpkin give the stew a slightly buttery sweet and nutty taste.
Serves 8-10
Ingredients:
Coarse salt
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
4 bay leaves
3 fresh thyme sprigs
6 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
6 black peppercorns
1/2 cup broth (beef, chicken, or vegetable) (
2/3 cup canned plum tomatoes, with their juice (full can used this recipe)
1 2/3 cups beef stock
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 ounces pancetta (ask the butcher to slice the pancetta 1/3-inch thick), cut into 1/3-inch dice
1 fresh rosemary sprig
1 pound tender stewing beef, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (beef tenderloin used this recipe)
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
2 small onions, finely chopped
1/8 teaspoon sugar
2 carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice
1 cup dry red wine
1 large red potato, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice
1 sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice
1 ear corn, husked and cut into 6 pieces
2 ripe peaches, pitted and quartered (one jar of peaches used this recipe)
Instructions
Heat oven (with the rack positioned in the lower third of the oven) to 375"F.
Slice the top 2+ inches off the pumpkin, leaving the stern intact. With a large sharp spoon, scrape away all the fibers and seeds from both sections. Prick the inside of the pumpkin all over with a fork. Sprinkle generously with salt. Stand the bottom part of the pumpkin in a roasting pan and put the butter, 2 of the bay leaves, the thyme sprigs, 2 of the garlic cloves, and the peppercorns into the cavity. Pour in 1/2 cup broth and cover with the top of the pumpkin (found best to leave pumpkin top off if large, and roast alongside in same pan).
Bake for 1 hour, or until the pumpkin is tender when pierced through the side with a bamboo skewer. If pumpkin starts to brown before it is tender, cover loosely with foil.
Meanwhile, combine the canned tomatoes and 1 2/3 cups beef stock in a saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat, crushing the tomatoes with a wooden spoon. Simmer for 5 minutes to blend the flavors. Remove from the heat and set aside.
Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the diced pancetta, the remaining 2 bay leaves, and the rosemary sprig and sauté until the pancetta becomes translucent and renders its fat.
Add the beef and the remaining 4 garlic cloves, raise the heat to high, and cook until the meat is well browned on all sides. Season with salt and pepper, add the red wine vinegar, and boil until the liquid has evaporated.
Add the onions and stir in the sugar. Remove the rosemary and add the carrots, then pour in the red wine, bring to a boil, and let it bubble for about 5 minutes, until the alcohol has cooked off. Add the potato, sweet potato, and tomato-stock mixture and bring to a boil.
Lower the heat to a simmer. Add the corn and the peaches, partially cover the pot, and simmer until the meat and vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes. Remove bay leaves, adjust seasoning, and keep warm.
To serve, empty out the pumpkin. Set upright on a large deep serving platter. Spoon the stew into the pumpkin, set the lid on top, and take to the table. Using a larger sharp serving spoon, spoon the carbonado onto individual soup plates scooping out some pumpkin flesh with each serving.