2 Tbs. olive oil, divided1 medium onion1 red bell pepper, cut into 1" dice2 cloves garlic, minced (2 tsp.)1 tsp. chili powder, preferably New Mexican1 tsp. ground cumin1/2 tsp. dried oregano1/2 lbs. tomatillos, husked and quartered (1 1/2 cups)1 15oz can hominy, rinsed and drained3?/4 tsp. salt1 3-4 lb. pumpkin, either sugar pie, cheese, red kuri, kabocha, or buttercup squash2 oz. grated sharp cheddar cheese (1/2 cup packed)1. Preheat oven to 350F. Heat 1 Tbs. oil in pot over medium heat. Add onion, bell pepper, and garlic. Saute 7 minutes, or until softened. Stir in chili powder, cumin, and oregano, and cook 3 minutes more, or until spices darken.2. Add tomatillos, hominy, 1/2 cup water, and salt. Cover, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer, partially covered, 10-12 minutes, or until tomatillos are softened. Uncover, and cook 5 minutes more to thicken stew, if necessary.3. Meanwhile, cut top of pumpkin around stem to make lid. Scoop out pumpkin seeds and strings. Rub inside of pumpkin with remaining 1 Tbs. oil, and sprinkle generously with salt. Sprinkle cheese in bottom of pumpkin.4. Fill pumpkin with stew, then top with pumpkin lid. Place on parchment-covered baking sheet and bake 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until pumpkin flesh is fork-tender. Remove from oven; let stand 5 minutes.5. Scoop stew, including pumpkin, into bowls and serve hot, topped with Poblano-cucumber salsa.-----Cucumber Poblano Salsa1 poblano chile1/2 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and cut into small dice1/4 cup cilantro, chopped2 Tbs. lime juice1 clove garlic, minced (1 tsp.)1 jalapeno chili, stemmed, seeded, and minced1/2 tsp. salt1 ripe avocado, dicedPreheat oven to broil. Roast poblano chile 15-20 minutes, or until skin is blackened, turning occasionally. Cool until easy to handle. Remove charred skin, discard seeds and stem, and cut into small dice. Combine poblano, cucumber, cilantro, lime juice, garlic, jalapeno, and salt in small bowl. Gently fold in avacado. Season with salt and pepper.*****NOTES*****ahh, hominy. I forgot how wonderful you are in this stew. I mispoke before when I said garbanzo beans. I didn't use tomatillos. They felt and smelled weird so I threw them out and used regular tomatoes instead. Later I found out that is how they are supposed to feel and smell, but I am still not comfortable with them.also I topped with more cheddar instead of the salsa, but I think I'm gonna try the salsa next because it sounds good. The cheese was yummy, though. I'm pretty sure I used more garlic and spices than called for, but I'm wild like that.also, to cook, I had cut up the pumpkin into little wedges and put in the bottom of a glass baking dish and then piled the stew on top. I think I did this because I was traveling to my bro's w. this stew and afraid to carry a big hot pumpkin. I think I used the sugar pie variety. It was delish.Enjoy! (brought to you by Vegetarian Times)
