Sausage and Apple Stuffed Sweet Pumpkin

 

Sausage and Apple Stuffed Sweet Pumpkin

1 medium (8 in across) sweet pumpkin, cut in half seeds removed
olive oil to coat exterior of pumpkin before baking
1 pound sausage, broken up and sauteed
1 shallot sliced
2 garlic cloves minced
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup raisins
1 crisp apple peeled, cored, and chopped
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped small
1 tablespoon fresh sage, chopped small
1-1/2 cups cooked wild rice
2 eggs beaten well
2 tablespoons maple syrup
salt and pepper to taste

Coat pumpkin interior and top edges. Bake pumpkin open side down at 350 F for 40 minutes. Set aside to cool. Sauté sausage breaking up into smaller pieces. Add shallots continuing to cook. Add garlic, pecans, chopped apples, raisins, rosemary and sage stirring to mix up. Set aside. Cook wild rice al dente. Mix rice with other sautéed ingredients. Remove some of excess pumpkin flesh inside pumpkin, leaving about 1/2 inch around edges and bottom. Stuff each pumpkin half with ingredients. Slowly pour one beaten egg into each pumpkin half over stuffing. Last slowly pour one tablespoon maple syrup into each pumpkin half. Bake covered at 350 F for 20 to 30 minutes till warmed and eggs are cooked. Serve immediately. What a wonderful fall treat.