Pasta with Mushrooms and Pumpkin cream

Pasta con Funghi e Crema di Zucca

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: about 40 minutes

Serves 2–3

Ingredients:

3 tbsp. butter
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
½ lb. (250g) champignon mushrooms, sliced
½ lb. (250g) finely chopped pumpkin
Salt, about 1 tsp. + 1 tbsp.
1 cup (250 ml) white wine
1 cup (250 ml) heavy cream
½ cup (120 ml) freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (or Grana Padano) cheese
Water, about 8 cups (2 L)
½ lb. (approximately 250 g) sedani rigati pasta
Black pepper to taste

Method:

1.        In a large pan, melt the butter over low heat. Add the onion and slightly sauté. Add the mushrooms, pumpkin, 1 tsp. salt and white wine. Cook for 20–25 minutes or until the pumpkin is tender and the liquid has reduced. Stir occasionally.
2.        Add the heavy cream and cook for another 2–3 minutes. Turn off the heat, add the cheese to the sauce, and mix well. At this point, taste the sauce and add more salt if needed.
3.        Meanwhile, bring the water to a boil in a large pot. Add 1 tbsp. salt. Add the pasta and boil it, stirring often, until al dente. Drain the pasta and transfer to the pan with the mushrooms and pumpkin cream. Mix well and let cook together another 2-3 minutes. Serve immediately with a sprinkle of black pepper.

Notes:
·         You can use scialatielli, penne, or cortecce pasta in place of the sedani rigati.
·         You can use other kinds of fresh and tasty mushrooms in place of the champignon.

 

Pasta and Pumpkin soup

Zuppa di Pasta e Zucca

The season of the pumpkin has arrived. Today, here in Rome is raining a lot! What could be better than a soupy dish of Pasta with Pumpkin in a rainy day of Autumn like this?

Preparation time: about 15 minutes

Cooking time: about 45 minutes

Serves 3-4

Ingredients:

9 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
5 cherry tomatoes, finely chopped
1 lb. (450g) chopped pumpkin
About 1 ½ tsp. salt
2 cups water
½ lb. (approximately 250 grams) lumachine pasta
Black pepper to taste
2 tbsp. fresh minced parsley

Method:

1.        Heat the oil in a large pot. Add the onion and sauté until light brown. Add the tomatoes, cover and cook for about 10-15 minutes on low heat.
2.        Then add the pumpkin, salt and water. Cover and let cook for about 20-25 minutes or until the pumpkin is tender.
3.        When the pumpkin is tender, add the pasta to the pot and more water if necessary; the simmering liquid must be just enough to cover the pasta, so make sure you don’t add too much water. Cook over medium low heat and stir constantly until the pasta is al dente.
4.        At this point, taste the soup and add more salt if needed. Top each serving of pasta with a sprinkle of black pepper and parsley.

Notes:

·         You can use other kinds of Italian short pasta like tubetti, conchigliette or ruote in place of the lumachine.