Pumpkin Pasta
This pasta is the ultimate fall comfort food. The pasta sauce is a mix of puréed pumpkin and bechamel sauce, which is then topped with slightly charred roast pumpkin and pine nuts. Making your own pumpkin purée ensures that the flavour is fresh and complex, while carefully stirring your bechamel sauce over the stove top makes for a cosy night in.
Ingredients
- 1 whole butternut pumpkin, peeled and cubed
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon Aleppo pepper
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon allspice
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 2-3 tablespoons olive oil
- ¼ cup pine nuts
- Dry spaghetti (for 2)
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon dried sage
- 1 tablespoon plain flour
- 2 cups organic milk
- 85g full fat cream cheese
- Shaved parmesan, to serve
Directions
- Step 1 Preheat oven to 190 degrees Celsius (fan force).
- Step 2 In a medium bowl, combine the pumpkin with the nutmeg, Aleppo pepper, cinnamon, allspice, salt and pepper, and olive oil.
- Step 3 Spread evenly on a prepared baking tray and bake for 30-35 minutes (or until the pumpkin is slightly charred and can be pierced with a fork).
- Step 4 Turn the oven down to 150 degrees Celsius and roast the pine nuts on a prepared baking tray for a few minutes. (Keep an eye on them as they catch quickly). Set aside to cool.
- Step 5 Place half the roast pumpkin in a bowl and purée with a stick blender (it should have a smooth, thick consistency and yield about 1 cup).
- Step 6 Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to boil, and cook the dry spaghetti according to packet instructions. Drain, rinse with cold water and set aside.
- Step 7 In a large saucepan heat the butter over medium-heat and cook off the garlic and dried sage for a few minutes or until aromatic.
- Step 8 When the butter starts bubbling, add the flour and whisk constantly until golden.
- Step 9 Start to add the milk, a few splashes at a time. Whisk constantly, until all the milk is incorporated and the sauce thickens. It should take 15-20 minutes to achieve a thick bechamel.
- Step 10 Take off the heat throughly whisk through the pumpkin purée and cream cheese. The sauce will be even, rich and smooth. Taste and adjust the seasoning as desired. Stir through the cooked pasta and serve with the remaining roasted pumpkin, pine nuts and shaved parmesan.
Autumn is squash season. Their vibrant colours, shapes and textures fill market stalls and ground us to the changing seasons. We often associate pumpkin with spices – cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, vanilla – but have you really stopped to appreciate the smell of pumpkin on its own?
This is a beautiful recipe to appreciate the smell of fall. Notice the aroma of freshly cut pumpkin when you first cut into it. Can you pick up the notes of ripe melon? The creamy, buttery undertones? When you roast the pumpkin, do you notice earthier aromas?
Being aware of our senses while cooking can help ground us in the present moment and provide a mindful pause. Making the bechamel sauce also requires you to stay mindful, as you slowly and attentively incorporate the milk into the butter and flour base. Our recent article for Woman Ready explains how to bring mindful moments to the kitchen.
