Butternut Pumpkin Pasta Food

BUTTERNUT PUMPKIN PASTA

Steps:

• Peel Butternut, remove seeds and chop flesh into large slices. Boil or steam flesh until tender and easy to mash.
• Wash leeks thoroughly to remove any grit. Slice leeks and finely chop bacon. Finely chop celery including leaves. If using pumpkin seeds to garnish, place on a baking tray in a medium oven with a sprinkle of salt to roast.
• Saute bacon in a dry skillet on a medium heat (if the skillet is the right temperature the fat should release from the bacon so you will not need to add oil without bacon sticking too much).
• Add leeks and celery to pan once bacon begins to colour and saute until vegetables are tender. The celery should still have a very slight crunch.
• Cook pasta until al dente.
• Deglaze skillet with a splash of white wine.
• Drain butternut and mash flesh. Add to skillet.
• Stir in sour cream and blue cheese dip (or alternative ingredients). Season to taste.
• Toss sauce through drained pasta. Serve in bowls with parmesan, seeds or walnuts/pecans scattered over.

CREAMY PUMPKIN PASTA

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large, shallow, flameproof casserole or frying pan over a low-medium heat and fry the onion with a pinch of salt for 10-15 mins until softened and translucent. Add the garlic and fry for 1 min more. Remove from the heat and leave to cool slightly.
• Meanwhile, cook the pumpkin in a pan of boiling salted water for 10-15 mins until tender when pierced with a cutlery knife. Drain and tip into a blender (or use a hand blender). Blitz with 50ml milk and the onions until completely smooth, gradually adding more milk until the mixture is thick enough to just coat the back of a spoon (you may not need all the milk). Tip into a large frying pan with the tomato purée and mascarpone, and bring to a simmer over a low heat.
• Cook the pasta in a large pan of boiling, salted water following pack instructions. Drain, reserving a cupful of the cooking water. Toss the pasta with the pumpkin sauce, parmesan and 50-100ml of the reserved water to loosen. Season and scatter with extra parmesan.