Pumpkin Stew

Happy Halloween everyone!! Although this dish may not win the prettiest meal award, this stew is to die for.  This pumpkin stew is our signature Halloween meal every year on the night before trick-or-treating.  It is so simple, so healthy, and SO delicious.  Do not let the pumpkin scare you!  It may seem a little strange but we promise, after eating this, you will never want to make stew any other way again!  Your whole family will be more than pleased when enjoying this hearty, comfort-food  meal before you eat all of that candy... and its okay to splurge.. its Halloween :)

 Ingredients:
1 large 12-18 lb. pumpkin
EVOO
2 lbs lean beef stew meat
4 medium to large sized potatoes, chopped into 1-inch cubes
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 bag baby carrots, halved lengthwise
1 green pepper, chopped into 1/2 -inch cubes
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1 cup water
2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
1 (14 1/2-oz) can diced tomatoes with juice
2 TBS beef bouillon
vegetable oil

Directions:
In a dutch oven or large pot, drizzle EVOO and brown stew meat.  Once browned, add potatoes, garlic, carrots, pepper, and onion, water, salt, and pepper.  Cover and simmer for 2 hours, stirring occasionally.  Once the mixture has been cooking for an hour and a half, wash pumpkin and cut a 6 to 8-inch circle around the stem.  Remove top of pumpkin and cut off seeds and string.  Scoop out and discard all seeds and loose fibers in the pumpkin. (Make sure you do not scoop out all of the strings or inside of the pumpkin- you want some for the stew!)  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.   After stew mixture has simmered for two hours, add can of tomatoes and beef bouillon.  Stir to combine.  Scoop the stew mixture and juices into the pumpkin and replace the top.  Pour vegetable oil into a paper towel and rub oil all over the outside of the pumpkin.  Bake for 2 hours or until pumpkin is tender.  ENJOY :)

Make sure when serving to scoop out a little pumpkin with each helping! :)