Zelda is one of those games that I’m pretty sure is universally loved. People who play it adore it. People who don’t play it regularly still admit its value. Even people who have never played it can frequently identify the theme song. I was as excited as anyone to play Breath of the Wild (and it’s upcoming sequel?!), but when cooking was introduced I fell more in love than I ever thought I could. The rustic, simple approach to campfire cooking in a beautiful landscape carved out a space on my heart that will only get bigger. Eventually I’d like to introduce some recipes that require a campfire (or at least a charcoal grill), but in Washington it’s getting rainy and even Link can’t keep a campfire lit in the rain without proper shelter and I don’t have a cave in my backyard.
Fortified Pumpkins are everywhere in my local markets at the moment so I decided to make the best use I can of the rainy season by using some of the ingredients that grow best in the fall. Link makes his Meat-Stuffed Pumpkins with several different kinds of meat so if this recipe seems popular I’d be more than happy to create a few more variations.
Step 1:
Preheat your oven to 350ºF and prep EVERYTHING. I started with the vegetables so I could set them aside and focus on browning the meat. First, I cleaned out my pumpkin(s). Cut the top off a about 2 inches out from the stem all the way around. Cut the stringy insides from your lid and cut a steam hole. Scrape the seeds and stringy guts from your pumpkin using a stiff spoon. Set seeds aside for roasting or discard.
Next, cut the dark green and root ends from the leek and cut it in half length-wise. Slice thinly and set aside. Cut the onion into large chunks and set aside with the leeks. Cut the carrots in half length-wise if they’re particularly thick and then cut into 1-inch long pieces. The celery should be cut into 1/2-inch long pieces. The larger chunks will hold up better as it stews inside the pumpkin and avoid everything turning to a mushy paste surrounding the meat.
Once all your vegetables are prepared and your pumpkin(s) are cleaned, cut the chuck roast into generous 1-2 inch cubes, trimming away any major excess of fat, and liberally cover with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Step 2:
Preheat a cast iron pan or stainless steel pan over high heat. I prefer cast iron for batch browning since the heat will be on high for a while. Once the pan is hot, add your oil and let it heat up for a few seconds. It doesn’t take long for the oil to come to temperature. You can tell because it will “shimmer” and look swirly. Add your meat to the pan, one piece at a time and spaced out. The more meat you add, the more the temperature will drop. You want to keep the temperature high, so avoid over crowding your pan. Browning should only take 1-2 minutes per side. Brown as many flat surfaces as you can – browning is flavor!
Below is a good example of browning. It will be slightly crusty and actually BROWN, not the just-cooked gray color a lot of people mistake for browning. Anything less than the picture below and you won’t be adding any flavor to your dish, just oil and wasted time. Put all your browned pieces into a bowl as you go.
Step 3:
Assemble! Toss a small layer of leeks in the bottom of your pumpkin and then follow with a layer of meat. Add in thyme and rosemary, stilton, onion, carrots, and celery. Be gentle with your stilton. You’ll want to add it in fairly large chunks and try not to smash it in so it holds up as much as possible while baking. Sprinkle in a pinch of salt. Add more leeks and meat and continue layering, salting between layers, until the pumpkin is completely full. Split the beef juice from the bowl holding your browned meat between the pumpkins. Add the beer.
Place your filled pumpkin(s) in an oven-safe glass casserole pan or other pan with a lip and put in the oven for 3 hours. You can start checking on it at 2.5 hours for doneness. The meat and vegetables should be fork-tender and not overly firm or chewy. If it needs more time, return to the oven in 30 minute increments. Don’t worry about the pumpkin getting too dark since you won’t be eating the skin in this recipe.
My pumpkins occasionally leak. This shouldn’t happen before the 3 hour mark. If they do end up leaking, consider it done and remove it from the oven. If it REALLY isn’t done, you can add some more beer or beef stock if you have some on hand and return it to the oven. Using a large metal spoon, scoop out the contents into bowls and scrape out the pumpkin flesh leaving the overcooked skins behind. Serve hot. This recipe also makes great leftovers 🙂
Left Image: 2 hours, not quite done
Right Image: 3 hours, perfectly done. Sometimes my pumpkins leak like the one shown, sometimes they don’t. It depends entirely on the individual pumpkin. I love them either way they turn out.
It’s hard to wait so long to eat it when it starts smelling good so early!
Full Recipe
Ingredients:
2 small sugar pumpkins about 6 inches in diameter, or 1 large one about 9 inches in diameter
1 cup thinly sliced leeks (~90g)
2 sticks celery, cut into 1/2inch pieces (~80g)
1 large carrot cut in half lengthwise and cut into 1-inch pieces (~140g)
1/2 medium onion, cut into large chunks (~160g)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1.5 lbs chuck roast, cut into 1-2 inch cubes (~680g)
5.5oz stilton cheese, broken into large chunks (160g)
1 sprig rosemary
2 sprigs thyme
1/2 cup beer, such as a pilsner or Kölsch, divided
kosher salt (I use Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt)
Freshly ground black pepper
Step 1:
Preheat oven to 350ºF. Remove the stem from your pumpkin(s) by cutting a circle around the stem about 2 inches out. Scrape out the seeds and guts, reserving the seeds for roasting if desired. Discard the stringy guts. Prep the ingredients to the sizes indicated in the ingredient list. Once all the ingredients are prepped, begin heating a cast iron or stainless steel pan on high.
Step 2:
Add oil to the pan and heat until it begins to shimmer. Add in the meat, one piece at a time and careful not to over crowd the pan, and brown on all sides. Place browned pieces in a bowl and continue browning in batches. Once you’ve finished browning the meat, assemble the filling. Start by adding leeks, then meat in a layer on the bottom. Add in thyme, rosemary, onion, celery, carrot, and stilton. Sprinkle with salt and begin another layer with leeks and meat followed by the other ingredients until the pumpkin is full. Make sure it’s packed, but try to avoid smashing the stilton so it holds up during baking.
Divide meat juice from the bowl between pumpkins and pour in the beer. 1/4 cup per pumpkin if using small pumpkins, or 1/2 cup for a large pumpkin.
Step 3:
Place pumpkin(s) in an oven-safe glass pan and put in the oven to cook for 2.5-3 hours. Start checking on the pumpkin at 2.5 hours. The vegetables and meat should be fork-tender and not overly firm or chewy. If it isn’t done, return it to the oven for additional 30 minute increments. If the pumpkin leaks out all or most of the liquid, you can usually consider it done and remove it from the oven. However, if it is REALLY not done and it leaked anyway, you can add more beer or stock or water and return it to the oven.
Using a large metal spoon scoop the filling into separate bowls. Use the spoon to scrape the flesh from the inside of the pumpkin, leaving behind the overcooked skins. Serve hot. Can be stored for up to 4 days and eaten as leftovers.