Sausage — Rice Stuffed Pumpkins — The Week the Country Turned

Election day. Presidential. Eduardo and I walked to the polling place at 7 AM. Filled out the ballot in three minutes. Walked home. The rest of the week was the waiting, the result, the processing. I do not write about politics on this blog, mi amor, but I will say this: whoever you voted for, you voted, and voting matters, and the country has turning points, and we are in one, and we will keep cooking and voting and raising our grandchildren, which is what we have always done regardless of what the federal government was doing.

I made sopa de pollo Tuesday night. We ate it watching the returns. Eduardo and I did not talk much. We ate. The soup was correct. The country will be what it will be.

Food bank Monday was habichuelas. Thursday was Caribbean pumpkin soup again — Terrence was not there Thursday, first time he had missed a day, and I asked Amelia after service if he was okay. Amelia said, "He is fine. He told me he had to take his wife to a doctor's appointment. He will be back Monday." I was relieved. The regulars become the reason you come.

Mami on Sunday was quiet. She ate. She said, "Who won?" I told her. She nodded. She said, "I voted for the one who was not the one who won." I said, "Mami, I know. I voted with you." She said, "I knew. You always vote with me. Your grandmother voted for the party that helped poor people. I vote the same. You vote the same." I said, "Mami, yes." She said, "Your children too." I said, "Mami, I hope so. I do not ask them anymore. They are adults." She said, "They voted with you. I saw it in their faces at Thanksgiving last year." I said, "Mami, how do you see voting in a face?" She said, "Carmen. You have to look." She tapped her eye. She is eighty-seven. She is sharper than most political analysts. Wepa.

Saturday I prepped for the November 16 cooking class. Pernil. I will teach pernil. Twelve students again. Jessica told me there is already a waiting list for the December class. I told her to cap December at twelve also. I am not scaling up. One class a month is correct for now. La Cocina de Consuelo is a small, careful thing. Mami said, "Good. Small and careful. The food does not like to be rushed." I wrote it in the notebook.

The Caribbean pumpkin soup we served Thursday at the food bank has been on my mind all week — it is that kind of week, when you want something that holds its shape, something with a bottom to it. Stuffed pumpkins are that. Sausage, rice, warmth, a vessel that does not fall apart. Mami would say the food knows what the week needs. I believe her. I wrote this one in the notebook too.

Sausage & Rice Stuffed Pumpkins

Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 1 hr 10 min | Total Time: 1 hr 30 min | Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 4 small sugar pumpkins (about 1 1/2 lbs each)
• 1 lb mild Italian sausage, casings removed
• 1 cup long-grain white rice, uncooked
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 small yellow onion, finely diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup diced tomatoes (fresh or canned, drained)
• 1/2 cup green bell pepper, finely diced
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• Salt and black pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack or mozzarella cheese
• Fresh parsley or cilantro for garnish

Instructions

1. Prepare the pumpkins. Preheat oven to 375°F. Cut the tops off the pumpkins and set tops aside. Scoop out seeds and stringy pulp with a spoon. Brush the insides lightly with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and place cut-side up in a baking dish with 1/4 inch of water in the bottom.
2. Par-bake the shells. Cover the baking dish loosely with foil and roast pumpkins for 25 minutes, until just beginning to soften but still holding their shape. Remove from oven and set aside.
3. Cook the rice. While pumpkins roast, bring chicken broth to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add rice, reduce heat to low, cover, and cook 18 minutes until liquid is absorbed. Fluff with a fork and set aside.
4. Brown the sausage. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add sausage and cook, breaking it up, until browned through, about 7–8 minutes. Transfer to a plate, leaving drippings in the pan.
5. Build the filling. In the same skillet over medium heat, add onion and bell pepper and cook until softened, about 4 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more. Stir in tomatoes, cumin, smoked paprika, and oregano. Return sausage to the pan, add cooked rice, and stir everything together. Taste and adjust salt and pepper.
6. Fill and bake. Spoon the sausage-rice filling generously into each pumpkin shell, mounding it slightly. Top each with shredded cheese. Replace the pumpkin lids at an angle so steam can escape. Return to the oven and bake uncovered 35–40 minutes, until pumpkin flesh is fully tender when pierced with a knife and cheese is melted and golden.
7. Rest and serve. Let stuffed pumpkins rest 5 minutes before serving. Garnish with fresh parsley or cilantro. Serve each pumpkin whole at the table — guests scoop filling and pumpkin flesh together from the shell.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 620 | Protein: 28g | Fat: 28g | Carbs: 64g | Fiber: 5g | Sodium: 890mg