Pumpkin stew

4 servings

* One small pumpkin
* One pound of stew meat
* 3 tablespoons canola oil, divided
* 1 cup beef stock
* 3 red potatoes, peeled, and cubed
* 2 medium carrots, chopped
* 1 large green pepper, seeded and chopped
* 2 cloves of garlic
* 1/4 cup chopped white onion
* 4 tomatoes chopped, or 1 can diced tomatoes
* salt and pepper to taste

In a Dutch oven, or heavy stock pot, brown stew meat in about 2 tablespoons of oil. When brown, add beef stock, and all the vegetables. Stir well to get all the bits of brown off the bottom of your pan. Cover and let simmer for two hours. After two hours, stir in the tomatoes.

While the stew is stewing. You can wash your pumpkin, remove the top, and save it. Scoop out the seeds, and the stringy fibers, and discard. Preheat your oven to 325, and place your cleaned out pumpkin it a sturdy baking pan. Brush the sides of your pumpkin with some canola oil.

Spoon the stew into the pumpkin, and replace the top. Bake for about 2 hours or until the pumpkin is tender inside. When serving, scrape out a little pumpkin with each serving. Salt and pepper to taste.