This dish is a traditional Armenian dish full of fruits and nuts. It can be made two ways, sweet or savory. This is the savory recipe. For the sweet recipe, just omit the onion and add 1 tsp cinnamon and 1/4 tsp nutmeg. It is also naturally dairy-free, gluten-free, and plant-based. Strict vegans do not eat honey since it is an animal product, but depending on their motives for being vegan, it might be acceptable. If you need a substitute, you could use maple syrup or agave nectar, although it will alter the flavor somewhat.

When choosing a pumpkin, get one between 5 and 7 pounds. For best results try to get a pumpkin that is a bit squatty, or at least a bit wider than it is tall, so it doesn’t fall over. Although you can’t see in the photo, the pumpkin is cut all the way through so that the slices just pull apart.

I plan to make this dish a centerpiece of our Thanksgiving table this year, although I’m pretty sure Armenians do not celebrate Thanksgiving. Little did they know they gave us wonderful dish that is perfect as a centerpiece for Thanksgiving!

Looking for something similar? Try Acorn Stuffed Squash instead!

For a complete plant-based dinner featuring Ghapama, consider the following:

• Cream of Broccoli Soup
• Green Beans Almondine
• Delicata Squash Salad
• Chocolate Espresso Cake

Armenian Stuffed Pumpkin (Ghapama)

Alice Ciccu

This striking dish is a lot easier than it looks. The hardest part is cleaning out the pumpkin. It would make a nice main dish for a vegan/vegetarian dinner as well as a stunning side dish!

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Prep Time 50 minutes mins

Cook Time 2 hours hrs

Total Time 2 hours hrs 50 minutes mins

Course Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine Middle Eastern

Servings 8

Calories 365 kcal

Ingredients

  

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• 8 cups water
• 1 cup long-grain or basmati rice
• 1 large sugar or pie pumpkin 5 to 7 pounds
• 1/2 cup slivered almonds
• 1/2 cup walnut halves or pieces larger pieces broken up
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter plant-based if needed
• 1 medium yellow onion finely chopped
• 2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1/4 cup dried cherries halved
• 1/4 cup cranberries preferably unsweetened
• 1/4 cup dried apricots halved or quartered
• 1/4 cup golden raisins
• 1/4 cup honey
• 2 tsp flat-leaf parsley leaves chopped

Instructions

 

• In a medium saucepan, bring water to boil over high heat. Add rice and return to full boil, stirring occasionally, until rice is al dente, 5 to 7 minutes (there should still be a firm core of undercooked rice in the center of each grain). Drain through a fine-mesh strainer over the sink, then immediately rinse with cold running water until rice is cool and water runs clear, about 1 minute. Set strainer over now empty pot and set aside to drain.
• Using a paring knife or pumpkin carving knife, remove the top of the pumpkin in one piece by cutting a 3- to 4-inch wide circle around the pumpkin stem to form a lid. Remove the lid and set aside. Clean the inside of the pumpkin with a large spoon making sure to remove all seeds and stringy pulp. Use the spoon to scrape the cavity clean. Using the paring knife, scrape seeds and pulp from the lid as well. Set pumpkin with lid aside.
• Adjust oven rack to the lower-middle position and heat oven to 350˚F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper; set aside.
• In a large skillet, toast almonds and walnuts over medium heat until very lightly browned, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Wipe out skillet, then add butter and melt over medium heat, swirling skillet. Cook for 4-6 minutes. If using dairy butter, cook until milk solids separate, and it just begins to brown. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
• Pour all but 2 tablespoons butter from skillet into a small bowl; set aside. Add onion and salt to skillet with remaining butter and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened and just beginning to brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to an empty large bowl and set aside.
• Add drained rice to the bowl with onions along with almonds, walnuts, apricots, cherries, prunes, and raisins.
• Add honey to the reserved browned butter and whisk to combine. Using a brush, coat the insides of the cleaned pumpkin, including the rim and underside of the lid, with the honey-butter mixture (about 1 tablespoon). Pour remaining honey-butter mixture into rice mixture and stir gently until everything is well combined. Scoop rice mixture into the prepared pumpkin and gently pack into pumpkin, leaving about 1 inch headspace from the pumpkin rim. Cover with the pumpkin lid and transfer to the prepared baking sheet.
• Bake until a paring knife inserted into the side of the pumpkin yields no resistance and the pumpkin begins to slump very slightly, 1 hour 45 minutes to 2 hours.
• Remove baking sheet from oven and transfer to a wire rack. Let cool slightly, about 15 min.
• Using oven mitts, carefully transfer pumpkin to the center of a large serving platter. Remove the lid and set aside. Using a paring knife, cut pumpkin through the flesh from top to bottom into eight equal wedges without cutting into filling; make sure to cut all the way to center of base so that wedges can fully separate. Gently allow pumpkin wedges to fall open onto the platter, coaxing them as needed. Mound rice in center of the pumpkin, scooping off any filling stuck to the pumpkin wedges and mounding it onto the rice pile. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.

Notes

Look for a pumpkin that is wider than it is tall, if possible, and at least 5 pounds in weight or up to 7 pounds. (If possible, choose one larger rather than smaller, to ensure adequate room to accommodate all of the filling.) There’s a chance you will have a small amount of filling left over; you can save it and bake it seperately, covered, in a small vessel, gratin dish, or ramekin to avoid wasting it.

To ensure a round circle when removing the pumpkin lid, use a pen or pencil to trace a 3- to 4-inch wide circle, then cut out the circle to form the lid. Be sure to cut a little slanted so the lid doesn’t fall in. Or you can create a star or scalloped pattern. I used small triangle cookie cutters to help get an even star pattern.

This onion version leans more savory than sweet. For a sweeter spiced version, omit the onion (and its cooking step) and stir 1 teaspoon cinnamon and 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg into the butter at the end of step 2. Though not traditional, you can also create a version that is both sweet and savory by adding this spice mixture to the onions at the end of step 3.

Nutrition

Serving: 1gCalories: 365kcalCarbohydrates: 51gProtein: 7gFat: 17gSaturated Fat: 6gPolyunsaturated Fat: 5gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0.3gCholesterol: 23mgSodium: 745mgPotassium: 798mgFiber: 4gSugar: 21gVitamin A: 15021IUVitamin C: 17mgCalcium: 90mgIron: 2mg

Keyword main dish, side dish, vegan, vegetable

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