Borani Kadoo

This is a traditional Afghan pumpkin dish, which can also be made with other squash. This recipe comes from the San Francisco Chronicle.

The pumpkin:

• 1 large yellow onion, peeled and quartered
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• One 3-pound sugar pie pumpkin
• 1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
• 1 small jalapeno pepper, halved, seeded and diced
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon ground turmeric
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, peeled and diced
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 1/2 to 2 cups chicken or vegetable broth

The yogurt sauce:

• 1 cup yogurt
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• -- Pinch salt

Puree the onion in a food processor. Heat the oil in a 14-inch saute pan or large casserole over medium heat. Add the onion and saute until tender, about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, cut the top and bottom off the pumpkin and peel it. Cut the pumpkin in half down the middle and scoop out the seeds and string. Cut the pumpkin into 1-inch-thick wedges and cut those wedges in half crosswise.

Once the onion is tender, add the garlic, jalapeno, tomato paste, turmeric, ginger, sugar, salt and 1 1/2 cups of broth. Turn the heat to high and bring to a boil, stirring frequently.

Once the mixture boils, turn the heat to low and gently press the pumpkin pieces into the onion/broth mixture so the pumpkin is tightly tucked into the pan. It's OK if the pieces overlap somewhat. Every few minutes, move the pumpkin around so all the pieces cook evenly in the sauce and the bottoms don't burn. Add more liquid if the pan gets dry.

Cook until the pumpkin is fork-tender but doesn't lose its shape (about 30 minutes).

While the pumpkin is cooking, combine the yogurt, garlic and salt in a small bowl.

To serve, spoon the yogurt over the pumpkin and pour any remaining yogurt around the outside edges of the pumpkin. Serve with warm pita or naan bread.