Cheesy Pumpkins With Sunchokes and Porcini

By ltrodrigu

This recipe is adapted from one created by San Francisco chef Michael Tusk. As a finishing touch, Mr. Tusk likes to use shavings of white truffle—in season now—scattered over the top.

Ingredients

• 2 sugar pie pumpkins or kabocha squash (about 3 1/2 pounds each)
• Kosher salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• freshly ground nutmeg
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 4 ounces dried porcini mushrooms
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
• 8 large cipollini onions, thinly sliced
• 3/4 pound sunchokes, scrubbed and thinly sliced (unpeeled)
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh sage
• 1 cup fresh breadcrumbs
• 1/2 pound Taleggio cheese, cubed
• white truffle shavings, optional

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut off top quarter of pumpkins (including stems). Scrape out and discard seeds and fibers. Generously season pumpkin cavities with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Put 1 tablespoon butter in each cavity.

Make filling: Put mushrooms in a large bowl. Cover with boiling water. Set aside. In a large sauté pan over medium-high heat, warm oil. Add onions and cook, stirring, until translucent, 5 minutes. Season with salt. Stir in sunchokes and cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium, cover and cook another 5 minutes. Meanwhile, drain mushrooms and roughly chop. Add mushrooms to pan. Cook 1-2 more minutes. Season mixture with salt, pepper and nutmeg, to taste.

Stuff pumpkins: Put pumpkins on a rimmed baking sheet or roasting pan. Divide filling between pumpkin cavities, packing it down if necessary. Drizzle with oil, cover with foil and cook until pumpkins are tender, about 2 hours. Meanwhile, in a sauté pan over medium-high heat, melt remaining butter. Add sage and cook 1 minute. Add breadcrumbs and cook, stirring, until toasted, about 5 minutes. Season with pepper and set aside.

Mound top of each pumpkin with cheese. Return to oven until cheese melts, 5 minutes. Divide breadcrumb mixture over tops and return to oven for 2 minutes. Let rest 5 minutes before serving. Serve pumpkins whole and scoop out pumpkin flesh along with filling.

Scatter with white truffle shavings on top, if desired.