Baked pumpkins and life on the lane

KAREN WIGHT

We moved into our house 15 years ago. Annie was 3 years old, I was

pregnant with Breck, and last-but-never-least Mary Rose was not a

twinkle in anyone’s eye.

We love the house and the feeling of community that comes with it.

Most of the neighbors have been on the street for years. And we still

have a few original owners who bought their lots in 1955 when the

price was $100 per front footage. That made an 80-foot wide lot

$8,000. Hurts, doesn’t it?

The first house on the street was the house next door to us,

traditional and charming. The second house was a modern home with a

sunken living room. It was recently scrapped, and a new home (stately

instead of groovy) is taking its place. The third house on the block

has one of the largest lots on the street with all of the original

charisma intact, and the fourth house, a California ranch-style, was

ours.

Well, it wasn’t ours in 1956, but it looks very much like it did

then. It’s been added to and updated several times, but the original

flavor remains. The street was made up entirely of custom lots;

therefore we have a lot of diversity. And since the houses were

individually designed, the owners tended to live in them for a long

time. There has never been a lot of turnover on the street. I’d say

that after 15 years on the lane, Ben and I still don’t come close to

having senior status.

One of the traditions that started many years ago was a

neighborhood progressive dinner. Irene Ford, a retired airline

stewardess who worked for Howard Hughes, organized the inaugural

bash.

The progressive party hosted by another neighbor, Bud McCray, was

voted most likely to be remembered. Bud unveiled an original Van Gogh

during dinner. He bought the painting for $75 -- because he liked the

frame. When he took it to a gallery to be cleaned, they found one of

Van Gogh’s masterpieces hidden under a lesser work. Not bad for $75.

Back to our dinner. It’s an adult affair that gives the big people

on the street an opportunity to see each other in a different light

-- socially, not just waving from the car, getting the morning paper

or puttering in the garden. The first progressive dinner Ben and I

attended was in October 1989. The theme was Halloween, and as I

recall, we all wore costumes ... which hasn’t been done since, thank

goodness.

I can’t remember what I wore, but I do remember dinner. It was

spectacular to look at and spectacular to partake in. My Brazilian

neighbor prepared an enormous pumpkin that she baked all day, and

filled it with savory seafood stew. The pumpkin must have been 20

pounds before cooking.

She scraped it clean, added spices, wrapped the pumpkin in foil

and popped it in the oven. Before she added the stew, she lined the

inside of the pumpkin with fresh cream cheese so it melted slightly

before serving. She served the whole baked pumpkin (with lid) full of

a heavenly shrimp and scallop concoction, with rice on the side. It

was one of the most memorable meals I have ever had. It was a

masterpiece.

The culinary artist, our Brazilian neighbor known as chef Mila,

now makes a career serving amazing meals. She has agreed to share her

Baked Pumpkin & Seafood recipe with me and, even better, she fixed

the dish for my family so we could do a photo shoot for the column.

Mila, thank you. Your generosity and creativity overwhelm me.

BAKED PUMPKIN WITH SAVORY SEAFOOD

1 medium to large pumpkin (the darker colors are sweeter and

perfect for this dish)

1 pound fresh or frozen shrimp (defrosted)

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 pound fresh or frozen scallops (defrosted)

1 cup diced white or brown onions

1 tablespoon crushed garlic

2 cups diced Roma tomatoes

1/2 cup creme fraiche (optional)

1/2 cup coconut milk (optional)

1 teaspoon chopped fresh jalapeno or a pinch of red pepper flakes

Salt to taste

Chopped fresh cilantro for garnish

Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees.

Cut off pumpkin top and clean inside, removing all seeds and

stringy fibers.

Wrap pumpkin top and bottom separately with aluminum foil.

Place wrapped pumpkin in an ovenproof dish filled with about 2 to

3 cups of water. Be sure to check periodically to make sure the water

does not evaporate completely and crack the dish.

Bake it at 425 degrees for about 1 1/2 hours.

Remove from the oven and let rest.

To make sure pumpkin is cooked, insert a fork inside the flesh of

the pumpkin. It should yield easily but not be too soft. It will cook

more as it sits and will be perfect for scraping with a spoon to

create wonderful flavors in each bite.

Cook rice at this time if serving it with pumpkin.

SEAFOOD FILLING

In a large skillet, saute onions until tender.

Add garlic and saute for about 2 minutes. Do not burn.

Add tomatoes and saute for 5 minutes.

Add shrimp and cook for 2 minutes.

Add scallops and cook for 3 more minutes.

Do not overcook shrimp or scallops.

Add creme fraiche and coconut milk.

Cook for 3 minutes, and season to taste with salt and jalapeno.

Coat inside of pumpkin with cream cheese, add seafood mixture and

bake for 10 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Garnish with fresh cilantro and serve with flavorful white rice,

such as Basmati or Jasmine.

ARUGULA WITH CRANBERRY, GOAT CHEESE AND CARAMELIZED WALNUTS

Preparation time: 20 minutes

Number of servings: 6 people

5 cups fresh arugula

8 ounces crumbled cranberry goat cheese (available at Trader Joe’s

stores)

1 cup caramelized walnuts or pecans

3 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon lime juice

Salt and pepper to taste

Place arugula leaves in a large bowl.

In a small saucepan, melt butter and sugar together.

Mix with a wooden spoon and cook until golden brown.

Add walnuts and mix, coating each nut.

Place walnuts on wax paper and let cool.

Drizzle olive oil and lime juice on arugula, add salt and pepper

and combine.

Add walnuts and goat cheese, and serve.

* KAREN WIGHT is a Newport Beach resident. Her column runs

Thursdays.