It’s Pumpkin Time! I live in Half Moon Bay in California, a place widely recognized as The Pumpkin Capitol of The World. We have a Pumpkin and Art Festival, and beautiful pumpkin patches. Visitors come from all over the Bay Area to buy pumpkins and take gorgeous, autumnal, Instagram-worthy pumpkin selfies.
So, the squash is a pretty big deal in these parts.
As a matter of fact, this year, 2022’s the winner of the giant pumpkin weigh-off was the heaviest ever recorded. So yeah, we are all about this season, Halloween, Dias del Los Muertos, and October in particular, with an unbridled enthusiasm.
I make this pasta every Halloween. I don’t know where I got it originally, it has been in my recipe box for 20 years. I can make it vegetarian by either using a veggie-friendly Italian sausage alternative or by omitting the sausage completely. When the kids were littles, our group of family friends would meet at our house, to eat and drink, make a little merry, before trick-or-treating. I would make this for the meal. Serve it with a gorgeous spinach salad with apple, dried cranberries, candied pecans, some shaved red onion, and a sprinkle of tangy goat cheese. Maybe a balsamic vinaigrette… Of course, I would fortify my adults for the chilly evening’s candy hunt with seasonal quaffs, like hot spiced apple cider spiked with Lairds Applejack. Or check out this Pumpkin Pie Martini.
I wish you all a fun and safe holiday!
Recipe
Pumpkin Pasta with Sausage and Sage
INGREDIENTS
- 1 tbs olive oil
- 1lb ground Italian sausage, spicy or mild, or favorite plant-based Italian sausage
- 6 cloves garlic, chopped small
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped small
- 1-2 Bay leaves
- 3-4 sprigs fresh sage, chiffonade into slices
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 1 cup chicken or veggie stock
- 1 cup prepared pumpkin puree, fresh or canned
- ½ cup heavy cream or half & half
- ½ tsp each cinnamon and nutmeg
- Salt and pepper
- ½ cup grated parmesan, plus more for serving
- 1 lb pasta, cooked al dente, according to package directions. Retain 1 cup of the water you cooked the pasta in.
INSTRUCTIONS
- In a heavy-bottom pot, brown the sausage, breaking up into crumbles. Remove from the pot and allow extra fat to drain on a paper towel. Wipe out any left-over fat from the pan.
- Add oil to pan and on medium heat, soften the onions and garlic, about 5 minutes.
- Throw in bay leaves, sage and wine to the onions and reduce wine by half.
- Stir in the stock and pumpkin, bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer for 4 minutes.
- Return the cooked sausage to the sauce, along with the cream and spices. Simmer low for 10 minutes until thickened. Taste and salt and pepper to deliciousness. Fold in pasta and then cook, then fold in the parmesan, adding a bit of the pasta water (add as much as you need), stirring gently to be saucy and silky.
- Serve with a bowl of fresh parmesan.
Zostawić tłumy turystów i żałować zamieszek miasta. Nasz luksusowy dom położony w Bieszczadzie to spokojna oaza, którą warto odkryć.
Ars vitae — Искусство жизни