Martha Stewart comes to Mukono?

The following is a very-loose description of how to prepare a "stuffed" pumpkin-- seems the perfect "tweener" recipe between Halloween and Thanksgiving

First: Scoop out the pumpkin

Second: scoop out sides according to how much "stuff" you want in the pumpkin

Layering: pasta, beef, tomato, garlic, onion, salt, olive oil

And another layer

Toothpicks to keep the lid on while steaming

Banana stalks and leaves on the bottom to prevent burning

Edith with the banana gear around her

Covering the pumpkin with layers of banana leaves

The pumpkin at the end of 2 hours, with banana leaves removed

The scooped out pumpkin and pasta stew

Now a few more details:

1.  We cooked this on top of the stove.  If you were in the US, what would replace banana leaves? Foil? A proper steamer? Can we ask for banana leaves at our local grocery stores?

2. Ugandans also try stuffed pumpkins with pasta and ground nut sauce

3. Usually you would use broken up spaghetti--i think the bow-tie noodles took longer to cook--at one point, we opened the pumpkin and added some water to the pasta mixture.

4. Because the pasta was taking long, the pumpkin over-cooked.  It tasted good, but i think normally you would scoop the pasta out and then serve a wedge of pumpkin.  This pumpkin was so soft that I had to scoop the pumpkin out with the pasta. 

5. I'm definitely going to try this again with some different fillings inside as I do love local pumpkins.  

6. When I told my friend about this "project," she told me about a recipe from Barbara Kingsolver for pumpkin soup in a pumpkin.  I am adding the link because I think it is perhaps designed for American cooks and ingredients and realities (i.e. if banana leaves not available): http://www.animalvegetablemiracle.com/recipes-fall-pumpkin-soup-in-its-shell.htm