2 lb. beef stew meat, cut in 1 1/2" cubes
1 lg. onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tbsp. oil
2 lg. tomatoes, chopped
1 lg. green pepper, chopped
2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. sugar
1 c. dried apricots
3 white potatoes, peeled & diced
3 sweet potatoes, peeled & diced
2 c. beef broth
1 med. pumpkin
butter, melted
1/4 c. dry sherry, optional
1 (16 oz.) can whole kernel corn

Cook beef with onion and garlic in oil until browned. Add tomatoes and pepper, 2 teaspoons salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, sugar, apricots, white potatoes, sweet potatoes and broth. Cover and simmer for 1 1/2 hours.

Meanwhile, cut off pumpkin top and discard. Scoop out seeds and stringy membrane. Brush inside of pumpkin with melted butter and sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Stir sherry and corn into stew and spoon into pumpkin shell.

Place shell in shallow pan and bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour or until pumpkin meat is tender. Place pumpkin in large bowl and ladle out stew, scooping out some of the pumpkin with each serving. Makes 6-8 servings.