Afghan Kadu Bouranee Recipe 435

Steps:

• Peel the pumpkin and cut into 2" to 3" cubes; set aside. Heat oil in a large frying pan that has a lid. Fry the pumpkins on both sides for a couple of minutes until lightly browned. Mix together ingredients for Sweet Tomato Sauce in a bowl then add to pumpkin mixture in frying pan. Cover and cook 20 to 25 minutes over low heat until the pumpkin is cooked and most of the liquid has evaporated. Mix together the ingredients for the yogurt sauce. To serve: Spread half the yogurt sauce on a plate and lay the pumpkin on top. Top with remaining yogurt and any cooking juices left over. Sprinkle with dry mint.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 300°F.
• Cut the pumpkins in half through the stem end, and cut out the long stringy fibers.
• Cut each pumpkin half into 3- to 4-inch pieces.
• There should be about 8 pieces from each pumpkin.
• Using a vegetable peeler, pare the rind from the pumpkins, digging the peeler down a little to remove more than just the superficial layer of rind.
• Place the pumpkin pieces hollow sides up in a baking pan large enough to hold them in a single layer.
• Coat both sides of the pieces, using all of the oil.
• Pour all the sugar evenly over the pieces.
• Cover the pan.
• Bake the pumpkins until the color turns darker orange and becomes nearly translucent, and the texture is extremely tender, about 3 hours and 15 minutes.
• Baste the pieces once with the pan juices after 2 1/2 hours of baking.
• The Yogurt Sauce: Stir together the yogurt, garlic, mint and salt.
• Cover and refrigerate until serving time.
• Just before serving, taste and add more salt if necessary.
• Yields 2 cups sauce.
• For each serving: Spoon about 2 tablespoons of the yogurt sauce onto a plate.
• Using the back of the spoon, spread the sauce a little.
• Using a slotted spoon, remove 2 pieces of the pumpkin from the pan and center them on the sauce.
• Add more sauce to taste.

Steps:

• Make the pumpkin: It helps to have a serious vegetable cleaver for this bit. Preheat your oven to 300º. 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. 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. 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. 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. Make the yogurt sauce: Mix all the ingredients together. Refridgerate. Make the meat sauce: 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. Serve: Hot pumpkin, topped with cold yogurt sauce, topped with hot meat sauce.

Steps:

• Clean the peel of the eggplant, then cut the stem off.
• Cut into 1/2 inch thick slices (leaving the peel on).
• Spread slices on a flat surface or tray and sprinkle generously with salt; let sit for 30 minutes, then dry well with paper towels.
• In a skillet or pan melt the olive oil and butter together over medium low heat; sauté the sliced onion (and green pepper, if using) until nicely browned and slightly caramelized, then stir in the red pepper flakes.
• Pour oil into a separate deep frying pan (one that has a lid) to cover the bottom of pan; over medium high sauté the eggplant slices on both sides until lightly browned.
• As the eggplant slices are done, gently squeeze them with tongs to remove as much oil out of them as possible; discard extra oil.
• Remove extra oil from the deep frying pan, then place one layer of eggplant slices on the bottom of the pan.
• Place a bit of cooked onion on top of each slice; repeat with another layer of eggplant and cooked onion, until you're out of slices and onion.
• Pour the chopped tomatoes with their juice over the slices and onion, careful to not dislodge the onion too much.
• Cover and simmer over medium heat for 15 minutes, then remove cover and simmer another 5 to reduce the sauce a bit.
• Combine the strained/drained yogurt, crushed garlic to taste, and salt to taste to make the chakah sauce.
• When eggplant is done, remove from heat then carefully transfer the slices to serving dish (careful not to dislodge the toppings), then top each with a dollop of the chakah sauce.

Steps:

• Preheat your oven to 400º F; line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Place the squash in a large bowl and give it a healthy drizzle of olive oil; toss to coat, then season with turmeric, coriander, cumin and tods again.
• Arrange squash on the prepared baking sheet and place in oven for 20 minutes; season with sea salt and let cool to room temperature, about 15 minutes.
• Spoon yogurt into individual glasses, then layer in squash slices. If you prefer, you can dollop the yogurt onto small plates and top with squash.
• Sprinkle with dried mint and drizzle with olive oil.
• Serve with pillowy bread like nan-e-barberi or pita bread.