More Pumpkin

Here are a couple of other ideas for roasted pumpkin I was working with this past week.  First up is Bucatini with roasted pumpkin and sage brown butter sauce.  Bucatini is a fat, hollow noodle which resemble a fat spaghetti with a hole in the middle.  They are a chewey, hearty noodle to soak up the sage butter and compliment the sweet pumpkin.  Salty parmesan cheese is a perfect fit with the sweet of the pumpkin and the richness of noodles in butter sauce.


Bucatini with Sage Brown Butter and Parmesan

1 pound bucatini, cooked according to package directions
1 1/2 cups roasted pumpkin cut into chunks
1 1/2 cups of butter, browned and strained-discard the solids and return the clarified browned butter to a clean saute pan
2 tablespoons of minced fresh sage
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Parmesan cheese-as much or as little as you like
Freshly ground blackpepper

Heat the clarified butter and add the sage, it should sizzle for about 20 to 30 seconds, add the pepper flakes and the pumpkin.  Heat the pumpkin, being carefule not to break up the chunks too much.

Add the cooked noodles and heat through.

Serve with the grated parmesan cheese.




Pumpkin Risotto


1 small pie pumpkin, roasted according to the recipe I gave last week.
2-3 tablespoons neutral oil-canola or vegetable
1 tablespoon butter
2 shallots, minced
3 cups Arborio rice
1 cup Riesling wine
1/8 teaspoon each ground allspice, nutmeg, cinnamon, and clove
8 cups vegetable or chicken stock
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Grated parmesan cheese, 1/2 cup for the risotto and additioanal for garnish-as much as you like

Cut the roasted pumpkin into 1" chunks and divide in half.

Add the spices to the stock and bring it to just the point of simmering.

In a heavy bottomed pan-I like a dutch oven or similar kettle-heat and add the oil and butter.  Stir fry the minced shallot over low heat for a couple of minutes until it is soft and fragrant.  Add the rices and coat with the butter-oil-shallor mixture.  Continue to saute the rice until it turned an opaque shade of white.

Stir in the wine and cook until the wine is reduced.  Add 1/2 of the pumpkin chunks and begin adding 1/2 cup of the spiced stock, stirring the rice until it is absorbed.  Continue cooking the rice and pumpkin this way until it is tender and a little creamy-adding more stock as the rice absorbs it and the pumpkin falls apart into a puree-probably about 20 to 25 minutes, stir in 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese and taste for seasoning.  Do not over cook the rice or it will become mushy.  It may not require all 8 cups of stock.

To serve heat the remaining pumpkin and carefully fold into the risotto, trying not to break up the chunks, drizzle the top of the rice and pumpkin with some of the sage brown butter (same recipe from the Bucatini posted above).
Sprinkle on more parmesan or serve it separately.

I have to thank Josh and Jordan-from the restaurant kitchen-for helping with this recipe.  First of all Josh suggested it as a seasonal special and then all three of us worked on getting recipe developed.