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–+ servings

Chestnut Pumpkin With Vegan Minced Meat and Dried Fruit Sauce

This recipe was inspired by North African cuisine; It's rich in colors, aroma, and flavors. Fill a chestnut pumpkin with a vegan minced meat mixture, make a sauce with dried fruits, such as plums, apricot, and apple, and bake in the oven. Serve with couscous or white rice.
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Servings: 6
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
 
 

  • 3 Chestnut pumpkins of medium size, washed well, halved lengthwise, and cleaned of seeds
Vegan Minced Meat Mixture
  • 300-340 gram vegan minced meat, such as beyond one package
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 3 cloves minced garlic
  • ¾ - 1 cup water as needed
  • 2 Tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon Ras El Hannut by taste
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • salt and black pepper by taste
  • 2 Tablespoon tahini
Dried Fruit Sauce
For Serving
  • Couscous or white rice, toasted sliced almonds, fresh cilantro

Method
 

  1. Brush the inside and top of the pumpkins with olive oil and set them aside.
Vegan Minced Meat Mixture
  1. Fry the onion until translucent, add garlic and fry for a few seconds. Add the vegan minced meat and fry while mixing and separating it for about 2-3 minutes; Add water and spices and cook for about five minutes. Remove from heat, add tahini, and mix, taste, and adjust seasoning if necessary.
  2. Fill the pumpkins with the vegan meat mixture and set them aside.
Dried Fruit Sauce
  1. Preheat the oven to 190 Celsius - 374 F
  2. Heat olive oil in a large skillet or wok and fry the onion until translucent. Add crushed garlic and mix for a few seconds; add spices and mix for a few more seconds; add water, maple syrup, lemon juice, and cornstarch diluted with half a cup of water and mix.
  3. Bring to a boil, lower the heat and cook for about 10 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.
  4. Remove from heat, add dried fruit and mix.
  5. Transfer the sauce to a baking dish that will accommodate the pumpkins comfortably. Arrange the pumpkins on top of the sauce.
  6. Cover the pan with aluminum foil and seal from the sides - bake for about an hour and a half until the pumpkins soften completely. After about forty-five minutes, check the water level and, if necessary, add a little.
  7. Remove the aluminum cover and bake for 35-45 minutes, until the pumpkins are golden and the sauce is slightly reduced.
For Serving
  1. Remove the pumpkins from the mold, and transfer the sauce to a separate container. Put a pumpkin on a serving plate and sprinkle chopped cilantro; add white rice or couscous and pour the sauce over it.
  2. Sprinkle toasted sliced almonds and chopped cilantro on the rice or couscous and serve.

Notes

The dried fruit sauce is based on this recipe.

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