Short Rib & Rice Stuffed Jack-O-Lantern! (Pumpkin Ghapama Recipe)

Let’s get real, Halloween is a party holiday and what better way to party than with a massive pumpkin chalked full of tasty, succulent, short-rib-infused rice? The answer is that there isn’t… there isn’t a better way… trust me. This is a riff off of a famous harvest time specialty from Armenia called “Ghapama” or Pumpkin Rice.

This recipe and technique will work with most all pumpkins. Keep in mind the larger the pumpkin, the more rice you'll need and the more time it'll take to cook. Pull the pumpkin when it's fork tender. Also, feel free to sub out the short ribs for any other pulled braised meat (lamb would be killer, too). As you'll see this recipe is pretty customizable and more of a guideline. Have fun with it.

🤘🏻Adam

Yield: 10 people

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Party-Proof Pumpkin Rice!

Ingredients

Short Ribs

• 4 1/2 pounds Short Ribs, English Cut
• 4 Garlic Cloves, divided
• 4 sprigs Thyme, divided
• 2 Tbsp Unsalted Butter, divided
• Kosher Salt, to taste
• Black Pepper, to taste

Pumpkin Rice

• 1 Large Pumpkin, seeded and scraped
• 1/3 cup Honey
• 2 sticks Unsalted Butter, divided
• 12-14 cups Basmati Rice, cooked
• 5 Shallots, sliced thin
• 6 Garlic Clove, minced
• 1 cup White Raisins
• 2 Tbsp Fresh Thyme
• 3 Tbsp Curry Powder
• 2 Bay Leaves
• Parsley, Chives, Dill or other soft herbs, chopped for garnish
• Plain Whole Milk Yogurt, for garnish
• Crispy onions, for garnish
• Chili Oil, for garnish

Instructions

Short Ribs

1. Season the short ribs with salt and a few cracks of black pepper. Divide the short ribs in half, then add to two separate durable plastic bags. In each bag, stick in 2 garlic cloves, a thyme sprig and a bay leaf. Sous vide the short ribs at 167F for 24 hours.
2. Remove the short ribs from the sous vide and store in the fridge. Use within 5 days.

Pumpkin Rice

1. Melt 6 tablespoons of unsalted butter and mix with honey. Brush the honey butter inside of the pumpkin.
2. Add the remaining butter to a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add shallots and cook for 1 minute, then stir in garlic and raisins cooking for 2 minutes more. Stir in thyme, curry powder and bay leaf, then cut the heat. Transfer the spiced butter mixture to a large bowl with the rice and mix.
3. Remove the short ribs from the bag and shred the meat off of the bone by hand. Add the shredded short ribs to the rice and mix until incorporated.
4. Spoon the rice into the pumpkin until it reaches near the top. Close the pumpkin up using the lid, then rub the outside of the pumpkin with a touch of neutral oil. Bake the whole thing at 375F for 1 to 1 and a half hours, or until the pumpkin is easily pierced with a fork. Optionally cut a Jack-o-lantern face into it before your friends come over to eat.
5. Use a sharp knife to cut slices down the pumpkin vertically about 2 inches before hitting the table. Splay the pumpkin slices out to form a flower-like, platter presentation. Garnish with chopped parsley, yogurt, fried shallots and chili oil and CRUSH!

Adam's Notes

• If you don’t have a sous vide machine, braise the short ribs in the oven at 300F until tender and let cool before shredding by hand.
• If cooking for less people, this recipe can easily be shrunk down for a "sugar pumpkin," as the smaller, sweeter variety are often called.

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