Recipe #23 - Pumpkin Penne Pasta with Mushrooms & Pumpkin Seeds

This is a perfect autumn dish but can be enjoyed anytime. We take the easy way out here by using canned pumpkin, although you can make it even better by roasting sugar pumpkin (or butternut squash) in the oven until very soft, and then pureeing it in a food processor with some of the vegetable stock.

We like to serve this pasta with seared yellowfin tuna and some green vegetables (broccolini, asparagus, green beans, brussels sprouts, etc.) on the side.

Makes four servings.

1 15 oz. can pumpkin
3 cups rich vegetable stock
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 cup mascarpone cheese (Italian cream cheese)
Salt & pepper

2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1/2 lb. mixed wild mushrooms (oyster, portobello, shiitake), stemmed and thinly sliced

1 cup raw pumpkin seeds

1 lb. penne pasta

1/2 cup freshly grated pecorino romano cheese

Place the pumpkin, one cup vegetable stock, mascarpone and cinnamon in a blender or food processor and buzz until blended and smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Melt the butter in a large saute pan and add the mushrooms. Cook until the mushrooms are slightly browned and have given off most of their liquid. Add the remaining two cups of stock and boil until most of the liquid has been evaporated. Stir in the pumpkin mixture and keep on low heat.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Spread the pumpkin seeds on a cookie sheet and toast in the oven for about 8 minutes, checking often to make sure they're not burning. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for a few minutes.

Cook the penne pasta in boiling salted water until al dente according to package directions (about 11 minutes usually). Drain the pasta and put it in a large serving bowl. Pour in the pumpkin-mushroom sauce and the toasted pumpkin seeds. Mix gently and serve, with the grated pecorino romano cheese to be scattered on top of each individual serving.