Gapama

Preheat the oven to 180 °C. Wash the pumpkin, slice off the top with one round cut and set it aside to use as a lid; scoop out the seeds and fibers without damaging the thick walls.

Rinse the rice, cover with 1,000 ml water, season with salt to taste and cook for 10–15 minutes until half-done, so the grains stay firm inside. Drain the rice in a colander.

Cut the dried apricots and dried cherries into small pieces. Mix the rice with the raisins, dried apricots, dried cherries, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, 150 g melted butter, honey and cinnamon; season with salt to taste.

Brush the inside walls of the pumpkin with 20 g melted butter and 20 g honey. Fill the pumpkin with the rice mixture, leaving about 3 cm of space at the top for the rice to expand, and cover with the reserved lid.

Place the pumpkin in a heatproof baking dish and bake for 75–90 minutes, until the flesh near the lid is easily pierced with a knife and the rice is fully cooked.

Remove the gapama from the oven and let it rest for 15 minutes. Before serving, cut the pumpkin into vertical wedges, fanning them outward so the filling is revealed; serve warm.