pumpkin with onions, pinenuts, and sage (11/30/04)

ingredients (per two people):
1 small sweet pumpkin, about two pounds, cut in half and seeded
3 large cloves garlic, peeled and whole
1 large onion, sliced thin
olive oil
1/3 cup pine nuts
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
salt
~12 leaves fresh sage
~1/4 c. crumbled feta cheese (goat's milk feta is fantastic here, from Berkeley Bowl)
freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 400 F,
Cut Pumpkin in half, discard seeds, and fill each half with two peeled cloves of garlic
Bake until very tender, cut side down, about 1 hour
Take a break.
Turn off the oven when the pumpkin is done and let it sit to cool.
Thinnly slice the onion and saute in 1-2 Tbsp oil for 5 minutes, until clear
Tear the sage roughly and add to the onions
Add the pinenuts, brown sugar, and salt to taste, and saute until onions are soft and beginning to brown/carmelize, about 10 minutes

Serve 1/2 pumpkin per person (leave in the cloves of garlic) filled with the onions and pinenuts and topped with cheese and a few twists of ground black pepper.

on the side:
yogurt and fresh pita bread or garlic bread