This one is a show-stopper. Smoky roasted pumpkin becomes a serving dish for fondue with a spicy mushroom cap. Don’t fear the char that will inevitably coat the exterior of the pumpkin but do keep an eye on it while it roasts so that the char doesn’t go beyond the skin. You can roast the pumpkin completely in the cast iron pot but it will take quite a bit longer. Bring along the cheese already grated to save yourself from doing that work on the campsite.
Serves 4
1 3 pound kabocha squash (or other small pumpkin or squash)
8 ounces chorizo
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
8 ounces chanterelles, cleaned and sliced
1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup white wine
8 ounces grated comté or gruyere
4 ounces grated swiss cheese
Sea salt
For serving:
2 pounds fire cooked potatoes
2 apples, sliced
1/2 loaf crusty bread
Set the pumpkin in hot coals at the base of a campfire. Pile up the coals around the pumpkin.
Roast until tender, about 20 to 30 minutes (depending on the heat of your fire). Don’t worry about the exterior char but you may have you move it around while roasting so it cooks evenly.
Carefully remove the pumpkin from the coals then let cool a bit before removing the top and scooping out the seeds.
Place the pumpkin in a small cast iron roasting dish then return the whole thing to the coals. Place the lid on and keep warm while you prepare the chorizo and chanterelles.
Set a cast iron skillet over low flames on a grill grate or directly on the coals.
Sauté the chorizo until cooked through. Remove to a platter then add the the butter and chanterelles. Sauté until deeply caramelized, add the garlic then return the chorizo back to the skillet. Add a pinch of salt then stir everything together well.
Remove the lid from the roasting dish with the pumpkin. Add the wine then slowly begin to stir in the cheese, waiting for each new addition to melt before adding the next. Once all the cheese has been added top with the chorizo and chanterelles, remove from the fire then enjoy.
