Pumpkin, pork and chorizo stew

It's cold and miserable outdoors, just the right time for slow-cooked stews and casseroles. Imagine ladling a rich smoky stew in a deep bowl and dipping a chunky bread in it. As I have just had a big delivery of colourful pumpkins from Abel & Cole, I am cooking everything with pumpkins these days, from cupcakes to stew. Pumpkin, pork and chorizo stew is a great comfort food and a belly warmer.

Pumpkin, pork and chorizo stew (serves 4)
Ingredients:
1 small pumpkin
700g pork belly
2tbsp olive oil
pepper
100g chorizo
3tbsp Kikkoman soy sauce
1 cube of Knorr ham stock
1tbsp fresh thyme, chopped finely
2 cloves of garlic
2 parsnips
1 carrot
9 dried apricots, sliced in half
1 tin of plum tomatoes (400g)
1 tin of butter beans (235g drained weight)
1 potato

Wrap a small pumpkin in foil. Cook it in the oven preheated to 200C for a half an hour to soften a tough skin.
Once the pumpkin is cool, remove the skin and seeds and cube the flesh. Set is aside.
Cut the pork into big size cubes. Heat the oil in a big pan and fry the pork for about 5 minutes. Turn off the heat. Sprinkle it with fresh thyme & pepper and pour 1tbsp soy sauce over it.

Chop the chorizo and fry it for about 3-4 minutes in the pan where the pork has been cooked. Chop the parsnips and carrot, put them in a big pan and add boiling water. Put the pork and chorizo in as well. All the vegetables and meat should be well covered with water. Add 2tbsp soy sauce, a cube of ham stock, finely chopped garlic and sliced apricots. Open tins of butter beans and plum tomatoes and add the contents to the pan. Cook simmering for half an hour, then add a chopped potato, and cubed pumpkin. Cook for another 30 minutes on low.

I didn't add the salt, as the stock cube and soy sauce gave all the saltiness that was needed.

I used Kikkoman's naturally brewed soy sauce in this recipe. It is a versatile ingredient, which is much more than an Oriental cuisine product. In fact, it is a universal seasoning, and I often use it instead of salt in salads and roasts.
I was recently invited to make a one-pot warming winter dish as part of Kikkoman Blogger recipe challenge. The task was to make anything so long as it not oriental in style.

Disclosure; I received a bottle of Kikkoman soy sauce. All the other ingredients were purchased by me.

If you are looking for seasonal recipes, check out this delicious soup recipe from Cheryl (Madhouse Family Reviews) called Autumnal Hug in a Bowl.