I hate seeing all those pumpkins going to waste after Halloween, so this week I decided to do something about it. And what better way to protest wasting pumpkins than just eating every pumpkin in sight, right? I ended up making homemade pumpkin purée and freezing half of it (so that I can have pumpkin pie on demand all winter) then I roasted all the seeds to snack on… for what will probably be an eternity because many pumpkins were involved.
Last night I made some pasta using the purée, and it came out great. Thinking I’ll experiment with making some scones this weekend as well. My mom said when I was a baby she gave me so much pumpkin baby food that I turned orange. Hopefully that won’t happen again, but if it does, please know it’s not me showing support for Trump… I simply just ate too much pumpkin again.
Ingredients: (serves 2)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 shallot, minced
2 tablespoons butter
2 cups pumpkin purée
1 cup unsalted chicken stock, plus more as needed
4-5 small chunks of Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground sage
Salt and pepper, to taste
Gemelli style pasta, or pasta of your choice
Making your own pumpkin purée is very simple. Just cut up the pumpkin into large slices and scoop out the pulp and seeds. Toss the pulp, but save the seeds to roast later! Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the pumpkin slices on a parchment lined baking sheet and roast in the oven for 1 hour, or until fork tender. Peel off the skin, and purée the pumpkin in batches until smooth. You’ll have a lot, so feel free to freeze most of it for a different day!
Now, for the pasta. In a Dutch oven, sauté the garlic and onion in 1 tablespoon butter until softened. Add the pumpkin purée, Parmesan cheese, nutmeg, sage, another tablespoon butter, and half of the chicken stock. Stir well to combine. Once some of the chicken stock has been absorbed, add the rest of the stock. Cook on low for about 10 mins, stirring often. You can keep adding more chicken stock as needed. In the meantime, make your pasta per the box instructions. When the pasta is cooked, strain and toss into the pumpkin mixture. Save a splash of the pasta water to add in as well. Add one more small pad of butter for one final toss of the pasta. Plate and add a bit more grated Parmesan cheese, followed by a dollop of ricotta cheese. Enjoy!
the petite beet 