Tuesday Try A New Taste - Samhain Main Courses

* Pumpkin Stew *
Submitted by Cathryn Gross;
AllRecipes

"This is a marvelous autumn potluck dinner. Everyone will be very impressed with this thick beef stew made and served in a pumpkin shell! Use a 10 to 12 pound pumpkin; be sure not to overbake!"

Ingredients

• 2 pounds beef stew meat, cut into 1 inch cubes
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
• 1 cup water
• 3 large potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 4 carrots, sliced
• 1 large green bell pepper, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, chopped
• 2 tablespoons beef bouillon granules
• 1 sugar pumpkin
  

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Place beef in the saucepan and cook until evenly brown. Mix in the water, potatoes, carrots, green bell pepper, garlic, onion, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer approx. 2 hours. Dissolve the bouillon into the beef mixture. Stir in the tomatoes. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Cut top off the pumpkin and remove seeds and pulp. Place the pumpkin in a heavy baking pan. Fill the pumpkin with the beef mixture. Brush outside of the pumpkin with remaining oil. Bake in the preheated oven 2 hours, or until tender. Serve the stew from the pumpkin, scraping out some of the pumpkin meat with each serving. Makes 8 - 10 servings.

* Monster Meatloaf *
From rita casares

Ingredients

• 1 C Mushrooms, coarsely chopped
• 1/4 med Onion, chopped
• 10 oz Frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained
• 1/2 C Shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 C Grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 lb. Ground turkey breast
• 3/4 C Old fashioned oatmeal, uncooked
• 1/2 C Skim milk
• 1 Egg, lightly beaten
• 1 tsp. Italian herb
• 3 C (3/4 L) Spaghetti Sauce
• 2 Pimento stuffed olives (for eyeballs)
• Few Corn kernels (teeth)
  

Preheat oven to 375F. Sauté mushrooms and onion in a heavy nonstick skillet over medium low heat 4-5 minutes, or until onion is tender. Remove from heat (drain off any excess oil) and stir in spinach, 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese. Combine turkey and next 4 ingredients in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Mix lightly but thoroughly. To form the monster corpse, in an ungreased baking pan, sculpt 2/3 of meat mixture into a body. Make a deep indentation down center of torso and fill with spinach mixture. Top with remaining meat mixture, sealing edges to completely cover filling. Make eyes on the monster by using the olives. Use corn to make teeth and a pimento from an olive to make a tongue. Pour spaghetti sauce around body and bake 45-50 minutes or until cooked through. Sprinkle torso with remaining 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese and return to oven 1-2 minutes or until cheese is melted. After baking, you may stick a knife into the monster's torso for effect if you like. Let stand 5 minutes before slicing.

* Samhain Meat Pie *
Author Unknown

Ingredients:

• 1 bay leaf
• 10 bacon slices
• 1 pound wild mushrooms, sliced thickly (or domestic mushrooms)
• 2 leeks chopped into 1 inch pieces (or onions)
• 3 carrots chopped into 1 inch pieces
• 1 rabbit or squirrel or chicken, cut into serving portions
• 3 TBS chopped parsley
• 3 sliced potatoes (peeled or not, your option)
• 1 TBS red wine vinegar
• 2 cloves garlic (optional)
  

Place the bay leaf into the bottom of a Dutch oven or cauldron. (You will need a lid.) Place half the bacon over the leaf and cover with half of the mushrooms, leeks and carrots. Place the meat pieces atop the vegetables and then cover with the rest of the mushrooms, leeks and carrots. Season to taste, adding half of the chopped parsley, and one of the crushed garlic cloves. (Extra water or broth can be added if thought necessary, just not too much.) Place the potatoes on top of everything else. Add a bit more salt and pepper, the rest of the garlic and parsley. Place the rest of the bacon over this and pour the red wine vinegar over them. Place a tight lid on the pot and cook in the oven at 325 degrees (F) for two hours (2 hr). Do not check inside too often as it will dry out the meat. Be sure to discard the bay leaf.

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