Baked Pumpkin (Morroco)

Baked Pumpkin with
Caramelized Onions,
Cinnamon, and Almonds

Ambassl' del Gar'aa Hamra
Serves 4

Baked Pumpkin I remember as a young girl shopping with Maman Darmon, my maternal great-grandmother, in Casablanca's bustling Marché Central. We would buy, among other things, bright orange wedges of fresh Mediterranean pumpkin that hung above the produce vendors' stalls. She used the vegetable frequently to prepare this old family favorite she called cassolite, a name that bespeaks its Andalusian roots. She always served the dish as an accompaniment to couscous. I do too, but also as a side dish for our Thanksgiving turkey! Substitute butternut, acorn, or Hubbard squash, if you prefer.

2 pounds pumpkin, preferably sugar pumpkin
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup vegetable oil
3 onions, thinly sliced
4 tablespoons slivered almonds, toasted
1/4 cup seedless raisins,
plumped in warm water and drained
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Cut the pumpkin into 2-inch chunks. Place them in an ovenproof dish. Add the water and cover tightly. Bake until tender, 40 to 45 minutes. Let cool. Peel the pumpkin and set aside.

In a large skillet over medium heat, heat the oil and sauté the onions until tender, 5 to 6 minutes. Add 3 tablespoons of the almonds, the raisins, sugar, cinnamon, salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring, until the onions are caramelized, 15 to 20 minutes. Spread the onion mixture evenly over the peeled pumpkin. Return to the oven and bake until heated through, 10 to 15 minutes. Sprinkle with the remaining almonds and serve immediately.

From:
Cooking at the Kasbah
Recipes From My Moroccan Kitchen
By Kitty Morse
Chronicle Books
Paperback, $22.95
156 pages, 50 color photographs.
ISBN: 0-8118-1503-X
Recipe Reprinted by permission.