Chloe Lay – Copy and Content

I find myself eating pumpkin and squash all through the autumn months – it’s cheap, filling and comforting, and I love the ritual of sitting down to prep it.

This recipe is a great way to use up any pumpkin left over from Halloween, or just to celebrate the flavours of the season. The oven does most of the hard work for you, drawing out the rich sweetness of the pumpkin before you blend it into a silky sauce. Give it a try.

Ingredients – serves 4–6

1 small pumpkin (or butternut squash)
6 cloves of garlic 
extra virgin olive oil
sea salt
black pepper
whole nutmeg, for grating
500g radiatori pasta (tortiglioni and rigatoni also work well with this sauce)
50g Gorgonzola piccante

FOR THE PANGRATTATO
30g shelled walnuts
30g breadcrumbs
sea salt
black pepper
extra virgin olive oil

Method

Preheat the oven to 220ºC/200ºC fan. Peel, deseed and chop the pumpkin into roughly 2-inch chunks – make sure you save the seeds for roasting (see note below). Tip into a large roasting tray along with the garlic cloves (no need to peel), pour over a good glug of extra virgin olive oil, then season generously with sea salt and black pepper. Grate over about a quarter of the nutmeg, then toss everything together and roast for about 45 minutes, or until golden and soft all the way through, tossing halfway.

Meanwhile, make the pangrattato. Smash the walnuts in a pestle and mortar until fine. Tip into a small dry frying pan along with the breadcrumbs. Season with a good pinch of salt and pepper, then dry-fry for a few minutes until lightly golden, stirring constantly. Stir in 1 tbsp oil and continue to cook until golden-brown and smelling delicious. Remove to a bowl and keep to one side until you’re ready to serve.

With about 5 minutes left on the squash, bring a large pot of water to the boil. Season generously with salt and cook the pasta – follow the packet instructions minus a couple of minutes.

While the pasta cooks, squeeze the roasted garlic out of its skin (pop the skin in the bin or enjoy it yourself), then tip into a blender along with the squash. Add the Gorgonzola and blend until silky smooth – if it’s too thick to blend, add a couple of splashes of the pasta cooking water, but you’re looking for a thick, creamy consistency. Check and adjust the seasoning as necessary.

Reserve a mugful of the pasta water, then drain the pasta and toss it in the sauce, keeping the pan on the heat. Add splashes of pasta water to loosen, stirring constantly until the pasta is cooked to your liking and the sauce is emulsified.

Serve the pasta topped with the walnut pangrattato. You can also add a couple of bombs of Gorgonzola or a grating of Parmesan, as you prefer.

Step-by-step recipe

1. Preheat the oven to 220ºC/200ºC fan.
2. Peel, deseed and chop the pumpkin into roughly 2-inch chunks, saving the seeds for roasting another time (see note below).
3. Tip into a large roasting tray along with the unpeeled garlic cloves. Pour over a good glug of extra virgin olive oil and season generously with sea salt and black pepper. Grate over about a quarter of the nutmeg, then toss.
4. Roast for about 45 minutes, or until golden and soft all the way through, tossing halfway.
5. Meanwhile, make the pangrattato. Smash the walnuts in a pestle and mortar until fine. Tip into a small dry frying pan with the breadcrumbs.
6. Season with a good pinch of salt and pepper, then dry-fry for a few minutes until lightly golden, stirring constantly.
7. Stir in 1 tbsp oil and continue to cook until golden-brown and smelling delicious. Remove to a bowl and reserve until you’re ready to serve.
8. Tip the pasta into a large pan of boiling salted water. Cook according to the packet instructions minus a couple of minutes.
9. While the pasta cooks, squeeze the roasted garlic out of its skin into a blender, then add the squash and Gorgonzola.
10. Blend until silky smooth, adding a splash of pasta water if needed to loosen. Check and adjust the seasoning to your taste.
11. Reserve a mugful of the starchy pasta water, then drain the pasta and toss with the sauce, keeping the pan on the heat. Add splashes of pasta water to loosen, stirring until the pasta is cooked to your liking and the sauce is emulsified.
12. Spoon the pasta into bowls and top with the pangrattato.

Note

Pumpkin seeds are delcious and nutritious, so make sure you don’t throw them away while prepping your pumpkin!

Spoon them into a bowl and use your hands to separate the seeds from the stringy flesh. Wash thoroughly and leave to dry, then toss in a little oil, salt, pepper and smoked paprika. Roast at 200ºC/180ºC fan for 5–10 minutes, or until golden-brown and crunchy.