Martha Stewart Pumpkin Stew

EVERY YEAR, I grow a great variety of pumpkins and squashes in my garden. Most are used for autumnal decorating projects, of course, but some are also excellent for eating, and I love to save a few specimens of the extra-special culinary Cucurbita (the botanical name for the genus) for a cooking project or two.

Last autumn I harvested some very beautiful heirloom pumpkins known as "Long Island Cheese." These pumpkins grow medium to large in size, have a flattened, moderately ribbed shape, and do actually resemble a wheel of cheese. The slender, woody stem holds tightly to the flesh of the pumpkin, making it a perfect handle. Its pinkish-tan skin holds up well during cooking, rarely splitting or cracking. For that reason, I decided to use it as the "pot" for a delicious pumpkin stew.

The recipe is by Pierre Schaedelin, a wonderful chef who has been collaborating with me on my newest book, which will be published next year, a follow-up to my original "Entertaining" book. Pierre was executive chef at Le Cirque in New York City before I was lucky enough to hire him away.

This stew is a delicious mix of fall vegetables that are roasted and then combined with browned and roasted chicken pieces. Everything is then warmed inside the pumpkin, which has already been roasted to tenderness. The stuffed pumpkin makes for an elegant presentation, and the stew is served with a delicious slice of its flesh.

Several other varieties of Cucurbita would also work well for this recipe: the French "Rouge Vif d'Etampes" (with vivid reddish-orange skin and a similar flattened shape); "Jarrahdale" (a drum-shaped squash with thin, hard skin in a silvery greenish hue, deep ribs, and medium-orange flesh); another French type, "Musquee de Provence" (ribbed, flat, with orangish skin that's mottled with dark green ); and even my favorite "warty" squash, the darkish-green Italian "Marina di Chioggia" (with skin that's blistery and bubbled).

Amy Goldman's book "The Compleat Squash" will prove an invaluable resource for researching edible and appropriate specimens for any recipe. Many of the pumpkins and squashes mentioned here are available at farm stands, in green markets, and even in supermarkets. They are well worth trying, not only for their great beauty and versatility, but also for their nutritional value.

STUFFED PUMPKIN STEW

Coarse salt and freshly ground

pepper

10 Brussels sprouts, trimmed

6 ounces green beans, trimmed

4 ounces sugar snap peas, trimmed

1 cheese pumpkin (about 10 pounds), seeded, top reserved

3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon

extra-virgin olive oil, plus more as needed

10 chicken thighs and legs, skin-on

1 cup homemade or store-bought low-sodium chicken stock

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

3 medium crisp baking apples (any type), cored and quartered

1 jar (7 ounces) vacuum-packed whole peeled chestnuts

12 ounces baby white potatoes, quartered

2 leeks, halved, light-green and white parts only, rinsed well and cut diagonally into 1 1/2-inch-thick slices

5 carrots, cut diagonally into

1-inch-thick slices

2 turnips, cut into eighths

4 parsnips, cut diagonally into 1-inch-thick slices

1/2 medium butternut squash,

seeded and cut into 1-inch cubes

1/2 celery root, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes

2 tablespoons thinly sliced garlic

1/2 cup packed fresh flat-leaf

parsley, coarsely chopped

Prepare an ice-water bath. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add Brussels sprouts, and cook until bright green and crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer to ice-water bath. Repeat with green beans and snap peas. Drain.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Rub inside of pumpkin and cut side of its top with 3 tablespoons oil. Place pumpkin and top on a parchment-lined baking sheet, and roast until they are tender but still holding shape, about 1 hour.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season chicken generously with salt and pepper. Working in batches, cook chicken until golden brown, 3 minutes to 4 minutes per side. Remove excess fat from skillet. Repeat with remaining chicken, adding 1 tablespoon oil to skillet with each batch. Place chicken on a baking sheet. Add stock to skillet, and bring to a boil, scraping bottom. Pour stock into a small bowl.

Roast chicken until golden brown and cooked through, about 40 minutes. Reserve pan juices.

Heat butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add apples and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden and softened, about 10 minutes. Stir in chestnuts, and remove from heat.

Combine potatoes, leeks, carrots, turnips, parsnips, squash and celery root in a large bowl. Toss with remaining 1/2 cup oil, and season with salt and pepper. Spread vegetables in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet, and roast until golden and tender, about 40 minutes. Add Brussels sprouts, green beans, snap peas, apple mixture and the garlic, and toss. Roast until garlic is golden brown and vegetables are heated through, about 10 minutes.

Combine chicken, vegetables, parsley, stock and 2 tablespoons reserved pan juices in a large bowl. Place mixture in pumpkin, and roast until heated through, about 15 minutes. Slice pumpkin into wedges. Serve each pumpkin wedge with some stew. Makes 10 servings.