Recipe
GHAPAMA
ղափամա
Pair with Dry White Wine
Ingredients
1 small pumpkin (about 5 lbs/ 10” wide)
1 Tbsp kosher salt, plus more for seasoning
2 Tbsp honey
1½ cups [300g] long grain rice
2¼ cups [540ml] water
4 Tbsp [60g] unsalted butter, cubed
1 yellow onion, nely diced
½ cup [80g] dried apricots, halved
¼ cup [35g] sour cherries
5 pitted prunes, quartered
¾ cup [90g] slivered almonds
2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
Instructions
Arrange oven racks to fit the pumpkin standing upright & preheat to 350°F. Line a half-sheet pan with foil.
Cut a wide lid around the top of the pumpkin & set aside. Scoop out & discard seeds, & place pumpkin on the prepared pan. Season inside with kosher salt & 1 Tbsp honey.
In a medium saucepan, combine rice with 2c water. Cover & bring to a boil, lower to a simmer, & cook for 10 mins, or until the rice is almost cooked through. Transfer rice to a large heatproof mixing bowl.
Rinse out saucepan & melt 2 Tbsp butter over medium heat. Add onion & sauté until softened & slightly golden brown. Add onions to the bowl with the rice & stir in 1 Tbsp honey, 1 tsp salt, apricots, sour cherries, prunes, walnuts, & almonds. Add vinegar & any additional salt to taste.
Spoon rice mixture into the pumpkin and pour in ¼c water. Dot 2 Tbsp butter on top. Cover pumpkin with its lid and bake until insides are hot & a toothpick slides easily into the flesh of the pumpkin, about 1½ - 2 hours, carefully rotating the pan halfway through. Remove from oven & rest 20 mins.
To serve, carefully transfer to a large round platter. Remove lid and cut the pumpkin into wedges so the ghapama falls open like a sunflower, with the rice in the center.
