-
1
Make the pumpkin:
-
2
It helps to have a serious vegetable cleaver for this bit.
-
3
Preheat your oven to 300u00b0.
-
4
Wash off the outside of the pumpkins. Cut them in half. Scrape out the stringy stuff on the inside. Cut the halves into 3#-4# pieces or so. Peel them. Get rid of all the green and rind.
-
5
Find a baking pan large enough to hold all the pumpkin pieces in a single layer. Cover the pumpkin pieces in the oil and place them hollow side up in the pan. Pour the sugar evenly over the pumpkin pieces.
-
6
Cover the pan with aluminum foil. Bake for 2 1/2 hours, then baste the pieces with the pan juices, cover them up again, and bake for another 45 minutes.
-
7
The sugar will all melt away and end up partially absorbed. The pumpkin pieces will turn dark orange and translucent. They will have a stunningly novel texture. It is a beautiful thing.
-
8
Make the yogurt sauce:
-
9
Mix all the ingredients together. Refridgerate.
-
10
Make the meat sauce:
-
11
Brown the onions in the oil in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Add the meat and cook over medium-high heat, stirring, until browned. Add all other ingredients (except for the tomato paste and water) and cook, stirring, for another 5 minutes or so. Stir in the tomato paste, then add the water and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and let simmer, covered, for about 15 minutes.
-
12
Serve:
-
13
Hot pumpkin, topped with cold yogurt sauce, topped with hot meat sauce.
