Hearty Stuffed Pumpkin Surprise

Hearty Stuffed Pumpkin Surprise

This Hearty Stuffed Pumpkin Surprise combines savory venison and wild rice, baked to perfection in a tender pumpkin shell, making it a delightful main course for a seasonal feast.

Ingredients

• 1 cup wild rice
• 1 whole pumpkin
• 2 tablespoons bacon grease
• 1 pound ground venison
• 1 medium onion
• 1 teaspoon salt
• to taste none dry mustard
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon sage
• to taste none pepper

Method

1. Start by boiling 4 cups of water in a saucepan. Once boiling, add wild rice and stir well. Reduce the heat, cover, and let it simmer for about an hour until the rice is tender.
2. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).
3. Carefully cut off the top of the pumpkin and scoop out the seeds and stringy pulp. Poke holes in the inside of the pumpkin with a fork, then season it with 1 teaspoon of salt and a dash of dry mustard.
4. In a large skillet, warm some bacon grease over medium-high heat. Add ground venison and diced onion, cooking until the meat is browned and the onion is translucent. Once cooked, take it off the heat and mix in the wild rice, remaining salt, eggs, sage, and pepper until everything is well blended.
5. Stuff the pumpkin with the venison and rice mixture. Place the filled pumpkin in a shallow baking dish and pour in enough water to cover the bottom by about half an inch.
6. Bake the pumpkin in the oven for 1.5 hours, or until it's tender. Make sure to check the water level in the dish occasionally and add more if necessary to avoid sticking.