Pumpkins stuffed with wild Mushroom Sage and Cheese.

Stuffed Pumpkins
Originally uploaded by J-Hob

I used a parmesan cheese for this recipe but any sharp cheddar would be lovely and in the past I have also made it with gorgonzola. I sometimes add cubes of boiled bacon or ham for flavour.

Ingredients
2 small butternut squash pumpkins
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
Gernerous amount of freshly ground black pepper


Stuffing

12 Ounces of sage and garlic wholemeal croutons
1 cup pumpkin ale
4 tablespoons butter
2 large leeks halved, rinsed and chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
8 oz cremini mushrooms
12 oz chantrelle, morrel, shitake or other wild mushrooms mushrooms
Handful of fresh sage
1teaspoon of fresh thyme,
Ground black pepper

Method

Halve the butternut squash and scoop out the seeds. Rinse and pat dry, inside and out. Mix a tablespoon of olive oil with 1/4 teaspoon of sea salt and a few turns of a peppermill. Rub your fingers in the oil, then coat the inside of each pumpkin. Set pumpkins aside.

Saute the leeks, celery, garlic, and mushrooms in the butter, and cook until the mushrooms have released all their moisture. Stir in the pepper, thyme and sage. Add the stuffing cubes and poor the ale over the cubes. Toss the stuffing until it is combined thoroughly and the cubes have absorbed all the moisture.

Stuff each pumpkin with the stuffing, pressing down with a spoon to ensure that the pumpkins are well packed. Top with freshly grated cheese and bake the pumpkins in a preheated oven at 350 for at least three quartes of an hour but it may be as long as ninety minutes until the pumpkins are completely done