Once the thing starts picking up dust and you keep shoving it out of the way, it's probably high time to cook something with it. And not pumpkin soup (I've made pumpkin soup so many times already, I really don't think I could stomach another bowl).
Here's a terrifically easy recipe for pasta with zucchine and pumpkin which never fails to impress. It's delicious! I wouldn't have imagined that these two vegetables could so lusciously complement each other. Any shaped pasta will do for this recipe, but the mezze maniche ('half sleeves', they're fat ribbed tubes) do seem to be just right.
500gr mezze maniche
500gr chopped Japanese (Hok) pumpkin
8 fresh zucchine, julienned (they should be very fresh!)
1 garlic clove, halved
1 small scamorza, diced (or other soft cheese of choice)
100gr parmigiano
salt to taste
a little milk
hot chili powder
marjoram, a few fresh leaves
Place the pumpkin in a saucepan with a few tbspns milk and simmer until tender (or place in microwave). Pureè with pinch salt and parmigiano to taste (about 3 tbspns).
Gently sweat the garlic in a few tbspns olive oil using a heavy wide pan. Add the zucchine and fry VERY gently for a few minutes to soften, adding salt & chili to taste.
Cook the pasta in salted water, strain VERY al dente, toss with the zucchine in the fry-pan, add the pumpkin and cook for a few more minutes. Add the scamorza and gently poke into the pasta to melt slightly. Remove from heat and add more parmigiano (thickly grated).
Serve with marjoram leaves.
