I've been feeling the autumn vibes with Halloween and the Day of The Dead last week, and of course we have some pumpkin from our jack'o lantern and some squash from the supermarket in the fridge. But I didn't really know what to do with them, till I saw Chef Chloe's Creamy Pumpkin Penne with Crispy Sage and Toasted Pecan recipe. I had a look in the fridge and cupboards and adapted the recipe to what I have at home. You can find the original recipe and a lot more here. Most recipes will be very forgiving of small to radical changes, feel free to experiment!
Pumpkin and Squash Tortiglioni with Crispy Basil and Toasted Peanuts
Ingredients:
PUMPKIN AND SQUASH SAUCE
-500 gr. of Tortiglioni pasta
-4 tablespoons of olive oil
-1 white onion
-6 cloves of garlic
-1/2 kg of pumpkin
-3 squashes
-350 gr of tomato sauce
-2 cups of non dairy milk (I used soy milk)
-salt to taste
-pepper to taste
- 1 or 2 small green chillies (optional)
-handful of basil
-salt to taste
-1/2 cup of toasted peanuts
If you're starting off like me, with fresh pumpkin, you'll have to cook it first. Yes, not a great cheat, but I've never seen canned pumpkin in Mexico City. If anyone knows where to get it please let me know! Clean out all the seeds and stringy parts. Peel, cut into smaller pieces and steam. I have a two part steamer but you can also use a metal collander inside a pot, however you must be able to cover it. You could boil it which is quicker, but I prefer steaming because I feel you end up with a better taste that way. Throw in the squash as well. I like to leave the skin on mine, but that's up to your personal preference. In total it took about 30 minutes to be done, but this will depend on how much pumpkin you're steaming. Throw in the squash (which cooks a lot faster) when the pumpkin begins to feel soft when poked with a fork.
While you're waiting for the pumpkin and squash, cook the pasta and prepare the basil. In a small frying pan heat two table spoons of olive oil. Make sure the oil is very hot before adding the basil and don't leave it longer than 5 minutes. I know it's tempting, but don't eat the basil while you're preparing the other stuff! You'll end up with Pumpkin Sauce Pasta. With no basil...
In another frying pan sauté the onions until soft. Add the garlic and chilies. If you want it spicy cut the chili as small as possible. If you just want a slight flavour cut it in half and take out all the seeds before adding it to the pan. This goes without saying, but I always forget and end up rubbing my eyes. Wash your hands very well after handling chili!
Time for a quick infomercial. There's been a lot of super chopping products on TV these last couple of years. I highly dislike chopping. Absolutely abhor it. But I always thought they were like everything else on TV infomercials. However I found one of these little supper chopper bullets at Costco and decided to give it a try. It actually works! Saves me a ton of time and now things are actually more or less the same size. This little fellow is the reason I'm using real garlic cloves instead of plain old garlic powder.
To finish up put the pumpkin, squash, onions, garlic, chili tomato sauce and nondairy milk in a blender and blend until smooth. Toss in with the pasta, crispy basil and toasted peanuts. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Tip. Make twice the amount of sauce and freeze the remaining half for later use.
Next time I'll try making this with less milk and some avocado.
Kid and omnivore approved!
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