Recipe for cooking argentinean stew in a pumpkin shell

Recipes from Peru, Brazil and South America :: South American Main Dish Meats

2 lbs. beef stew meat, cut into 1 1/2-in. cubes
1 large onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 Tbsp. oil
2 large tomatoes, chopped
1 large green bell pepper, chopped
Salt
Pepper
1 tsp. sugar
1 c. dried apricots
3 white potatoes, peeled and diced
3 sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
2 c. beef broth
1 med. pumpkin
Butter or butter-replacement, melted
1/4 c. dry sherry
1 (16 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained

Trim any excess fat from beef and cook with onion and garlic in oil until meat is browned.

Add tomatoes, green pepper, 1 Tbsp. salt, 1/2 tsp. pepper, sugar, apricots, white potatoes, sweet potatoes and broth. Cover and simmer 1 hour.

Meanwhile, cut top off pumpkin and discard. Scoop out seeds and stringy membrane. Brush inside of pumpkin with butter and sprinkle and distribute lightly with salt and pepper. Stir sherry and corn into stew and spoon into pumpkin shell. Place shell in shallow pan and bake at 325 degrees fahrenheit for 1 hour, or until pumpkin meat is tender.

Place pumpkin in large bowl and ladle out stew, scooping out some of pumpkin with each stew serving.