Shrimp and pumpkin, served with rice and vegetables.
Ingredients: one pumpkin, more or less 30 cm in diameter (small enough to fit inside a microwave); three tablespoons of olive oil; two medium onions, chopped; four cloves of garlic, minced; one teacup of tomato puree; 1kg of cleaned shrimp; 1/3 of a can of coconut milk; half tablespoon of salt; half tablespoon of ground black pepper; one cup of cream cheese; Tabasco sauce to taste; one tablespoon of chopped parsley.
Preparation: Cut out the top of the pumpkin to make a lid. Remove the seeds and pulp with a large spoon. Place the pumpkin in a dish filled with three cenitmetres of water, cover with a paper towel and cook it in the microwave for 20 minutes, until it is tender. (You may also wrap the pumpkin in aluminum foil and bake it in the oven for 40-45 minutes, at 200 degrees). Heat the olive oil in a frying pan and then add the onion until it is transparent; then add the garlic. Stir quickly and then add the tomato puree, then the shrimp, previously seasoned with salt and pepper. Mix well, and sauté for about two-to-three minutes until the shrimp becomes opaque. Add the cream cheese and mix until melted. Drizzle Tabasco sauce according to the desired level of spiciness and mix. Fill the warm pumpkin with the cream and shrimp mixture. Garnish the dish with cilantro and vegetables such as asparagus. Serve with rice.
Author: Jeff Whiteaker and Jana Liptáková
