Pork With Mashed Pumpkin Recipes

Steps:

• Cut pork into large chunks. Place in a bowl. Add salt, pepper, cayenne, thyme, fennel seeds, rosemary, and shallots. Mix thoroughly and cover pork with parchment paper. Refrigerate to let flavors develop, 8 hours to overnight.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Add flour to pork and mix to coat. Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Cook pork in 2 batches until browned, about 3 minutes per side.
• Insert the tip of a knife at a 45-degree angle into the top half of the pumpkin. Slowly cut all the way around to remove the 'lid'. Scrape seeds and fibers off the bottom of the lid and inside of the pumpkin using a large spoon or ice cream scoop.
• Line the bottom of a baking pan with parchment paper and place pumpkin on top. Stuff the pumpkin with the browned pork; pour in cider. Cover with the top.
• Bake in the preheated oven until pork is very tender, about 4 hours. Pour in a little more cider after a few hours in the oven, since a lot of it evaporates. Remove from the oven and let rest; brush pumpkin with some of the rendered fat from the bottom of the pan.
• Scoop pork onto serving plates and cut out pieces of pumpkin to serve alongside. Combine remaining rendered fat with cooking liquid from inside the pumpkin. Let sauce rest for a few minutes so you can skim off most of the fat. Spoon sauce over the pork.

Steps:

• Stir pumpkin seeds in heavy medium skillet over medium heat until golden and beginning to pop, about 8 minutes. Cool. Reserve 2 tablespoons seeds in bowl. In blender, mix 7 tablespoons pumpkin seeds and half each of lettuce, onion, cilantro, chilies, garlic, radish leaves and broth. Blend to smooth puree. Transfer to large bowl. Repeat with 7 tablespoons pumpkin seeds and remaining lettuce, onion, cilantro, chilies, garlic, radish leaves and broth. Pour into same large bowl. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add puree; boil until slightly thickened, stirring often, 10 minutes. Reduce heat to medium; cover partially. Simmer puree until reduced to thick sauce, stirring occasionally, 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
• Preheat oven to 325°F. Sprinkle pork with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add pork; brown on all sides, about 10 minutes. Place skillet in oven; roast pork until thermometer inserted into center registers 150°F, about 45 minutes. Transfer pork to cutting board; let stand 10 minutes. Reserve pan juices.
• Slice pork thinly; place on platter. Re-warm sauce, adding pan juices; spoon sauce over pork. Top with reserved seeds.
• *Also known as pepitas. Available at Latin American markets, natural foods stores and many supermarkets.