Pumpkin Pasta.

This is a perfect autumnal pasta dish, in appearance as well as flavour. 

Pasta con la zucca.

As most honest home recipes, it can be made in several variations.

The most prevalent type of pumpkin pasta found in shops and restaurants in Italy is the tortelli or ravioli di zucca, a fresh, eggy pasta filled with an often-sweet pumpkin filling. The most famous of these is from Mantova, a gastronomic hot spot in the Northern region of Italy.  Made with pumpkin combined with amaretti biscuits, parmesan, nutmeg and Italian candied fruit mustard – a slightly syrupy, extraordinarily delicious accompaniment for meats usually found only in Italy – these delicate pasta parcels are lightly boiled and served with melted sage butter and plenty of parmesan. A sweetish savoury course, this is an unmissable autumn treat – the colours on the plate perfectly mirroring the surrounding Lombard countryside. 

In the Italian home kitchen however, there is another type of pasta that is habitually eaten at this time of year. Known more plainly as pasta e zucca – or pasta and pumpkin, this is a simple pasta dish, with just as much flavour, satisfaction and colour, if not more. 

It can be done in a pan or pot, as soupy or dry as you like and flavoured with meat (sausage, parma ham) or a parmesan rind, prepared with or without stock. Each of these has its own flavouring possibilities, alone or in combination, and as always the best option is usually the highest quality choice at the disposal of the cook. A small amount of parmesan or caciocavallo can be used for serving, as can a garnish of olive oil or parsley (vegetarian version) or even walnuts (parma ham version). Garlic is recommended for all variations, as it works very well with pumpkin, and chilli and pepper to individual discretion – it’s certainly a warming addition on cold, winter-approaching nights. 

Just as pastas with legumes, this will dry over the ensuing days, and so it is not a bad idea to make it slightly soupy on the first day, to then enjoy ‘dryer’ the following day – although it can be warmed up, it is not bad at room temperature, served with extra olive oil and parsley. 

The pasta typically used is a short one, usually with a hole or another similarly generous formation (fusilli, garganelli, mafalde, conchiglie, etc), to allow the sauce to slip inside. Pastas with lines – righate – work very nicely as a contrast in texture, and it also works well to do this with a mix of different pasta shapes, especially in the vegetarian version, where the use of one wholewheat or spelt variety will make for particularly delicious results.  

Below is a vegetarian recipe, and a good starting point for experiments with pumpkin with pasta.

RECIPE.

A non-meaty version, flavoured with plenty of parmesan rind and spiced up with chilli and paprika, this should be served topped with fresh parsley and fresh olive oil. For maximum flavour, use lard at the start – or goosefat or in England best of all pork drippings, available from a quality butcher, and plenty of garlic. Making this in a pressure cooker gives much more tender results. The cooking time of the pasta will be increased (by half or almost double) because of the diminished quantity of water – you will need to keep a close eye on it as it cooks. 

Ingredients:

Serves 4

Pumpkin, 250g

Pasta, 250g

Lard or pork drippings

Olive oil

Chilli

Parsley

Parmesan rind

Optional:

Vegetable stock

1.      Prepare the pumpkin my cutting it into chunky cubes. Peel the garlic by crushing it with the back of a knife.

2.     Heat some lard in a pan, with a small amount of olive oil. Add chilli and paprika and the pumpkin and brown lightly.

3.     Add a litre of water (or vegetable stock), the parmesan rind, cover and bring to boil. (If you are partial to cooking with fish sauce, a spoonful of it at this point will also bring out extra flavour.)

4.    Cook until tender, checking on the water and adding more if needed. 

5.     Salt and pepper at the end, and mush some of the pumpkin with a fork and add a long drizzle of olive oil. 

6.     Add the pasta and continue to cook until it’s cooked al dente. (If using different pasta shapes, don’t forget to take account of their different cooking times.)

7.     Serve with fresh parsley and a drizzle of good quality olive oil on the plate. 

This is delicious served with stewed or grilled sausages on the side.