Roasted Munchkin Pumpkins stuffed with Cous Cous topped with Roasted Quail

In all the years I have been cooking there have been some sites that I really love and always go back to, to see whatever there is new to discover.

Most of them continue to grow, but others, especially if they have been started by a blogger, every now and again, maybe because life is full of surprises, they stop- either because they do something else or because they get bored, or who knows why…

The worst thing is they stop and also stop paying the company that hosts there site so whenever you go in to find a beloved recipe you find no site and no more recipes..

This has happened 2-3 times in the past few years and I was not smart enough to download the great recipes I had found at the time.

The first time was Pim”s site.. A Thai-American woman who posted such analytical descriptions of her recipes that she helped me greatly with my cooking with the fine detail of how to prepare her dishes.

Pim had wonderful recipes and I am still trying to persuade her to give me her recipe for Persimmon fruit pudding and the one for Madeleines with Bergamot…

Unfortunately she now runs two restaurants in San Francisco and another in Bangkok and probably doesn’t give a damn about the crazy fan in Athens who wants to make her desserts; whichever way you look at it I feel like I have missed out.. as has everyone else. I also feel that once you have uploaded your recipes online you have a duty to make them available from then on no matter how much time has passed.

Do you think I should sue her?? :)

Another site that I have lost in the same way was called “Playing with Fire and Water” which was run by an American woman who was doing private dining and may still do it but at another level..

She used ingredients she found in the gardens of her clients, she loved certain ingredients especially Asian but usually something out of the ordinary.

I had seen on her site a similar recipe to that which I will make for you today which had made such an impression on me that I remember it still..And so I have tried it, to try to relive not so much the ingredients but the sense of surprise and difference I felt about the original recipe..

I got some small munchkin pumpkins from Irene and I filled them with cous cous from Iliodora and placed a roasted quail into each one..I didn’t want to do risotto in the end.

I got the munchkin pumpkins from my friend Irini (see separate post on pumpkins).. I had no idea how wonderful it would turn out..

Let’s see what we need…

Diffuculty: 2 out of 3

Duration:2 hours

Serves:2

Ingredients

For the Cous Cous

150g of Pearl Cous Cous (not the cracked wheat but the one like pasta like little beads)

1/2 a white onion

100g Pumpkin flesh

I Garlic clove finely chopped

2-3 thyme (fresh stalks)

I fresh stalk of oregano

1 chicken cube stock

Pepper

Whatever spices you prefer (I put cumins little cinnamon and allspice)

Boiled water as much as needed.

For the Pumpkins

2 Munchkin Pumpkins (or use other small types or a larger one for two people)

Salt,pepper, olive oil

For the Quails

2 quails

50g butter

Salt,pepper

Method

For the Pumpkins

Cut a lid out of the top of the pumpkins

With a spoon scrape out all the seeds and dispose of them

With the same spoon cut out all the flesh from he centre of the pumpkin making sure to leave a thin layer on the sides.

Brush the inside of the empty pumpkin with olive oil and sprinkle some salt and pepper

Place the emptied pumpkins on a baking tray with the opening on the bottom and bake them in a pre-heated fan forced oven at 180c for 30 mins or however long it may need if you have used a larger pumpkin- you can check to see if the inside flesh is soft and can be scrapped off with a fork.

At the same time we can prepare the filling and the quails.

For the filling

In a saucepan sauté the onion, the garlic, the pumpkin flesh which we had put aside, the herbs and spices in a little olive oil.

Place the cous cous in the pan and stir it in a few times.

Deglaze with a little white wine (if you have some) , put in the stock slowly and simmer until the filling is ready. Take it out of the frying pan and keep warm.

For the quails

Take out the “wishbones” to make it easier to eat afterwards. Tie the legs together with a little twine.

Salt and pepper the quails and sauté the quails in butter on all sides. If you wish put some fresh herbs like thyme and oregano in the pan.

Roast them on a tray in a pre-heated oven at 250c for 12-15 mins

According to their size.

To serve

Put the filling into the empty pumpkin shells, place a quail on the top of the filling and serve with a little salad…

Kali Orexi11 Bon appetit!!