Halloween Stew

Photo by Jacob L. Barr. Flickr

With Halloween just around the corner, it's fun serving a few festive meals to get everyone in the mood to celebrate, when this ghoulish holiday arrives. One recipe that's worth it's prep time, is Halloween stew. Not only is it fun to make, just think of all the antioxidants and vitamin packed nutrients your giving yourself while eating this delicious meal. I would like to share this recipe with you, because I know you won't be sorry you've made it, once you try it.

Ingredients:

4 small pumpkins, with insides cleaned out and their tops set aside

Olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

1 Large Leek, chopped

2 medium cooking onions

6 medium cloves of garlic

3 medium carrots, chopped

2 medium parsnips, chopped

2 medium celery stalks, chopped

1 tbs dried basil

1 tbs sage

1 tbs Italian seasoning

2/3 cup crushed tomatoes

4 cups of vegetarian vegetable broth

2 bay leaves

1 can cannelloni beans (optional)

Romano cheese (optional)

Shredded mozzarella cheese (optional)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Clean out each pumpkin, removing the seeds. After they're clean, coat them with olive oil and set them on a baking sheet, sprayed with non stick cooking spray. Place their coated tops in front of them on the sheet. Put the baking sheet in the oven and set your timer for 15 minutes. When the 15 minutes are up remove the pumpkins form the oven and set them aside, until your ready to fill them. Meanwhile, set the stove to medium and pour some olive oil into the bottom of a sauce pan. Heat the oil, then add the chopped leeks and onions. Sprinkle with some salt and pepper and saute uncovered for about 10 minutes. When the onions and leeks have softened, add the chopped garlic, carrots, parsnips, celery, and all the spices to the pan, except for the bay leaves. Continue to saute uncovered over medium heat for 20 minutes, stirring often. You may need to add more olive oil along with more salt and pepper to the vegetables. When the vegetables start to become tender, add 4 cups of vegetable stock, 2/3 cups of crushed tomatoes and bay leaves to the mixture. You may also add more salt and pepper to taste if desired. Bring the stew to a boil, then reduce to medium heat and let simmer, uncovered for 25 minutes. When the time is up, remove the pan from the stove and stir in a can of beans if desired. Salt and pepper the insides of each pumpkin and fill the cavity with stew. When they're all full, sprinkle the tops with Romano cheese and pop them in the oven uncovered for 45 minutes, on the middle rack of the oven.

When everything is done, remove the pan from the oven and carefully place each pumpkin into a serving bowl. Sprinkle each pumpkin with mozzarella cheese, then carefully place their cooked tops on them and serve. For some fun ideas on how to decorate the table you'll be serving this witches brew on, try placing a lit jack-o-lantern in the middle of the table, with additional Halloween voltives lit around the room you'll be dining in. This would be a great way to get most people into the spirit of Halloween.