Native American Squash, Moroccan Tagine Ingredients, Ethiopian Wat, Russian Kefir, and Lebanese Lamb Koftas. What could possibly go wrong?  Nothing!

Basically, this is one truly confusing or uniting dish, depending upon how you look at it.  I embarked on this journey in order to make good use of the prodigious amount of Hopi Grey winter squash we had.  With over 20 pounds of delicious, roasted squash, I packaged, froze, and vacuum sealed most of it, added some to the homemade dogfood (freezer stored), and then saved one pound for tonight’s dinner.  I started out with a vegetarian tagine dish (without a tagine), but realized that we needed some protein.  Drawing upon my abundant ground lamb reserves, I fashioned some koftas and was off to the races.  I decided to use some Berbere spice in the main stew, so I guess this may give it some credibility as an Ethiopian stew (called wat). The added kefir and pumpkin seeds, as well as the garlicky spiced lamb koftas brought in Eastern Europe/Russia and the Middle East.  And, of course, the star of the show is the particular pumpkin selected: the Hopi Grey. 

Ingredients

For the Koftas

• 1 lb ground lamb
• ½ C finely diced or grated onion
• 3 T minced garlic
• 1 t cinnamon
• 1 t cumin
• 1 t red pepper flakes
• 1 t salt (use more if you like)
• ½ t black pepper
• 2 T water or broth (depending upon how much fat your lamb has)
• 1 t dried mint or 1 T fresh mint
• 1 T olive oil in the meat mixture if your lamb is very lean and is not coming together when you make the koftas
• 3 T olive oil to quickly brown

For the Pumpkin Stew

• 1 lb of roasted pumpkin, cut into 2 inch cubes
• 2/3 C green or brown lentils (cooked in 3 ½ C water for 40 minutes or until tender–drain)
• 1 C diced onion
• 2-3 tomatoes, seeded, then grated—do not include skins (about ¾ C of pulp)
• ¼ C olive oil
• 3 T tomato paste
• 3 T crushed or diced garlic
• 4 T (or more to your liking) Berbere spice (Because this spice is so variable, add it a tablespoon at a time and keep tasting.  You might need more or less.)
• 2-3 T diced serrano chiles (you decide)
• 1/4 to 1/2 C brown sugar (taste to your liking)
• ½ C water (You want the sauce to be gravy-like, as it has to coat the pumpkin, so use your judgement.)
• Salt and pepper

For Garnishes

• 3 T brown sugar
• ¼ C unflavored kefir or yogurt  (I like goat kefir.)
• A bit of roasted pumpkin seed oil
• ¼ C pumpkin seeds
• ¼ chopped parsley

Method

• Make the koftas by combining everything and shaping into little footballs (about 1/3 to 1/2 C of the meat mixture per kofta).  Set aside refrigerated for up to a whole day if you like.  You can sear them later or now.  Lightly sear in the oil and then set aside. You will finish these in the oven right before serving.
• Your pumpkin and lentils will already have been made, so the next step is the sauce, and this is the most important part.  Don’t rush.
• Sauté the onions in the ¼ C olive oil. (Use the same pan as you used to sear the koftas, which are now off the side waiting.) Salt and pepper to taste. Add garlic and chilies and stir to begin to get some nice smells. Add the grated tomatoes and tomato paste. Stir to combine. Add the berbere spice (a bit at a time over the course of this cook). Add the brown sugar. Is it too thick?  Add some water. Taste?  Add more berbere, salt, pepper, chilies, sugar.  It should be only slightly sweet, so go easy on the sugar.  (Plus, it’s bad for you.) When you have your sauce the way you want it, drop your roasted pumpkin cubes in and fill in with spoonfuls of the cooked lentils. 
• Bring the pot to a low simmer and cover for 10 minutes or until warmed through.
• Meanwhile, put your seared koftas into a 350 F oven (toaster oven is great) for 5 minutes (or less) depending upon how large your koftas are.

To Serve

• Lightly toss the pumpkin and lentils in the sauce and spoon into a large individual serving bowl, making sure you get some sauce.  Place 4 koftas strategically on top of the stew.  Glob on a couple tablespoons of kefir/yogurt, drizzle with a tiny bit of pumpkin oil (not too much, this stuff is very strong), garnish with a sprinkling of brown sugar, pumpkin seeds, and chopped parsley.

Mr. Artifact proclaimed this the best dish he had all week.  Honestly, I thought it a bit bland.  So next time, I am amping up the chiles and spice and adding an extra grated tomato (because that sauce just absorbs into the pumpkin/lentil stew the next day and totally disappears).

BTW, I considered calling this Cat Turd Curry because the koftas do look a bit like feline poops.  However, I did not think it sounded very tasty.  You’re welcome.

Stay briny,

–Stacey