Whole Stuffed Roasted Pumpkin

Ingredients

• 3 tbsp olive oil, divided
• 4 pork Italian sausages (12 oz.)
• 12 oz cremini mushrooms, quartered
• 1 tbsp butter
• 6 garlic cloves, chopped
• 2 celery stalks, chopped (about 1 cup)
• 1 large red onion, chopped (about 2 cups)
• 1 1/2 tsp berbere spice blend (optional)
• 1/4 tsp ground cardamom
• 2 1/2 cup unsalted chicken stock
• 1 3/4 cup frozen black-eyed peas
• 3/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1 cup uncooked farro
• 1/2 lb baby red potatoes, quartered
• 2 large carrots, cut into 1/2-in.-thick slices
• 1 (10- to 12-lb.) Long Island Cheese pumpkin
• 1 (28-oz.) can unsalted whole tomatoes
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Instructions

1. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium heat; swirl to coat. Add sausages; cook 6 minutes or until browned on all sides. Remove to a large plate; when cool enough to handle, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Increase heat to medium-high; add 1 tablespoon olive oil to pan. Add mushrooms; sauté 7 minutes. Transfer mushrooms to plate with sausage. Add butter and remaining 1 tablespoon oil to pan. Add garlic, celery and onion; cook 5 minutes. Add berbere and cardamom; sauté 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add stock, peas and salt; simmer 10 minutes. Add farro, potatoes and carrots; simmer 20 minutes.
2. Preheat oven to 350°F.
3. While stew mixture simmers, cut out top of pumpkin, and reserve; remove strings and seeds. Wrap pumpkin in foil; place in a large roasting pan or baking dish.
4. Drain tomatoes in a colander over a bowl (reserve juices for another use). Break up tomatoes with hands, allowing juices to drain. Stir tomatoes, mushrooms, sausage and parsley into stew. Ladle stew into prepared pumpkin. Place pumpkin top next to pumpkin on the pan. Bake at 350°F for 1 hour and 10 minutes or until pumpkin flesh is tender and easily scooped from the sides. Serve stew along with spoonfuls of pumpkin.