Armenian Stuffed Pumpkin with Rice, Dried Fruit and Walnuts

What you need

• 1 pumpkin, about 3 kg (6 1/2 lb), with a firm stem
• 200 g (1 cup) short-grain rice, rinsed
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 70 g (5 tbsp) butter, melted
• 4 tbsp honey
• 100 g (3 1/2 oz) dried apricots, diced
• 80 g (1/2 cup) raisins
• 100 g (3 1/2 oz) walnuts, coarsely chopped
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon

Method

Restated from the original video

1. 1

   Heat the oven to 190 °C (375 °F). Line a baking tray with parchment.

2. 2

   Wash the pumpkin. Cut a lid around the stem, about 12 cm (5 in) wide, and set it aside.

3. 3

   Scrape out the seeds and fibres with a large spoon until the inside is clean and smooth.

4. 4

   Bring 600 ml of water to a boil with the salt, add the rice and cook covered for 8 min, until half done and still firm in the center.

5. 5

   Drain the rice over a bowl and keep 150 ml of the cooking water. Spread the rice in a wide bowl to cool for 10 min.

6. 6

   Melt the butter with 3 tbsp of the honey over low heat.

7. 7

   Brush a little of the honey butter inside the pumpkin and over the outside skin.

8. 8

   Stir the rest of the honey butter into the rice, then fold in the apricots, raisins, walnuts and cinnamon.

9. 9

   Pack the filling loosely into the pumpkin, leaving 2 cm (3/4 in) below the rim. Pour the reserved cooking water over it.

10. 10

    Put the lid on and set the pumpkin on the tray. Bake for 90 min, until a knife slides easily into the wall and the rice is tender.

11. 11

    Rest the pumpkin 10 min. Lift the lid and check that the rice is soft. Add a splash of hot water and bake 10 min more if it is still firm.

12. 12

    Bring the whole pumpkin to the table. Cut wedges from the top down, give each person some filling with a piece of flesh, and drizzle with the last tbsp of honey.

Imported from thestuffedgrapeleaf.com. Recipe Grab pulled out what you need to cook it; the video stays where its author put it.