Food & Wine USA - (10)October 2020

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38 OCTOBER 2020

F&W Cooks is our community of experts who share their favorite recipes and delicious ideas in every issue.

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HANDS DOWN, my favorite pumpkin for cooking is the Long Island

cheese pumpkin. Tan, smooth, and squat, these gorgeous gourds

resemble wheels of cheese; their creamy, dense, and vibrantly

orange flesh only adds to the illusion. An heirloom varietal pre-

served by seed savers in Long Island, New York, its flavor is a

cross between butternut squash and sweet potato, with a vegetal

aroma akin to its melon and cucumber cousins. With a thick skin

and a large, flat cavity, these pumpkins are perfect for roasting

whole—they sit stably on a baking sheet and can accommodate

your choice of hearty fillings.

Last fall, after impulse-purchasing a case of cheese pumpkins,

I went on the prowl for recipes to use them up, only to find

bread-, cream-, and yes, cheese-stuffed versions. Hoping for

something a little lighter and weeknight dinner–friendly, I cal-

culated a rough ratio for cooking rice inside the pumpkin, aiming

for a risotto-like texture. I love pumpkin in red curries and how

the sweet aroma complements coconut milk, lemongrass, and

ginger. And while this makes a hearty and warming main course,

it also makes a wonderful side dish for roast fish or pork. Bring

the whole pumpkin to the table on a rimmed baking sheet or

platter, and spoon the saucy rice, studded with spoonfuls of

tender pumpkin, into shallow bowls. —MARY-FRANCES HECK

Good Gourd Dense, creamy,

and fiery-fleshed, heirloom

pumpkins are ripe for roasting.

F&W COOKS

Seek out tan-skinned,

smooth Long Island

cheese pumpkins, orange-

skinned Cinderella, deeply

ridged Fairytale, or dusty,

green-tinted Calabaza

for this recipe.

photography by GREG DUPREE

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