The Great Pumpkin Stew

10-12 inch pumpkin
3 Tablespoons Oil
3 1/2 pounds boneless beef chuck cubed
1 onion sliced
2 stalks celery, diced
16 oz can whole tomatoes
1 tsp dried parsley
1/2 tsp dried basil
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp celery salt
1 pound carrots, peeled and sliced
6 potatoes, peeled and quartered

Remove top of pumpkin and set aside. H ollow out, leaving pumpkin wall about 1/2 inch thick. Reserve pulp and discard seeds. Slice pumpkin pulp to measure 1 1/2 cups. Set aside. Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat, add meat and brown on all sides. Add onion and celery, saute until tender. Add tomatoes and seasonings, cover and simmer about 1 1/2 hours, or until meat is almost tender, about 15-20 minutes. Stir in pumpkin pulp and bring to a boil, adding a small amount of water if necessary. Spoon stew into pumpkin, place on ungreased baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 1 1/2 hours or until meat and vegetables are bubbling. Be careful not to overcook or pumpkin may collapse.
Serves 8

This recipe is so familiar to the one my momma made. She made a pot of chicken soup on the stove top then added it to the cleaned pumpkin. As it cooks in the over the pumpkin softens slightly and you can scoop some of the pulp out that way without having to cube it upfront. Also while the soup was cooking she made the toasted pumpkin seeds that were seasoned to drop on top of the soup. Thanks for the memory. I haven't made that since my three kids were little.