Pasta with pumpkin is a typical autumn Italian dish. The sweetness of the pumpkin is the main feature of the dish, we also think that the research of a perfect balance between different flavours is a must-have. That’s why we’ve added a sprinkle of pecorino cheese which with its saltiness balances perfectly the pumpkin. And of course pumpkin is orange and perfect for your Halloween’s dinner!
Ingredients for 4 people:
- 500 gr Mamma Flora Eliche Pasta
- Approximately half of a small-sized pumpkin
- 1 clove of garlic
- 100 gr of Pecorino Cheese
- Salt
- Pepper
- Fresh and dried Thyme Leaves
- Extra-Virgin Oil
Tools:
- 1 Pot
- 1 Pan
- 1 Cutting board
Tips: In the best restaurants, they drain the pasta few min before the cooking time, they then finish the cooking in the pan with the sauce and extra cooking water of the pasta. We will do the same in this recipe, this process is called: risottare as it’s the same process that is used to cook rice for risotto. Pasta cooked in this way is tastier and well mixed with the sauce.
Method:
- Pre-heat the oven at 180 C.
- Wash the pumpkin and cut it in rectangular pieces, as per the picture below. With a thickness of around 1 cm (0,40 inches).
- Place the pumpkin pieces in a tray with oil, dried thyme and salt. Cook until brown, it should take 20 min. Last 3 min turn the oven to grill.
- In a medium pot, bring water to boil (1 l water for 100 g pasta). When boiling add the Eliche and cook until 6 min before the cooking time on the package.
- Before draining the pasta, save some cooking water in a cup.
- In the meantime in a medium pan add oil, a clove of garlic and fresh thyme and gently heat. When sizzling, add the pasta which you drained in the meantime.
- Finish the cooking of the pasta on a low fire, gently stirring and adding the cooking water you saved earlier when too dry (process explained above in the tips).
- While so cooking, add the baked pumpkin, pecorino cheese, fresh thyme leaves, oil. Give it a good stir, add a pinch of pepper and it’s ready to enjoy with your family and friends.
