Thursday, October 04, 2007

Usher in the Season of Pumpkins


Go ahead......unleash your imagination to all the powers of the pumpkin!

Autumn produce suggests an array of ideas for me in the kitchen. Pumpkins and squash recipes flood my kitchen counter this time of the year. I feel like a watchdog restlessly waiting for them to go on sale, any size, any color, I am ready to pounce! Besides my constant urge to cook with them , I enjoy incorporating pumpkins and squash into my dinner-table settings as well as occassionally carving to serve as a vase for all my seasonal flowers.

For tonights dinner, I made a penne pasta with Parmesan and squash. I used a butternut squash. The flesh is thick and dense making it perfect for holding up to all the tossing to fuse the olive oil and chesse. Be inspired and use that imagination~
RIGATE WITH PARMESAN AND SQUASH
2 Cups of pumpkin or squash, cut into cubes
3 Tablespoons of olive oil
1/2 Cup of freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 Box of pasta, follow directions on box
10 Fresh sage leafs, chopped-leave a few larger for decoration
Salt and pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Toss the chopped squash or pumpkin with the olive oil, salt and pepper. Place on a baking sheet and cook until tender, about 25 minutes.
Cook pasta, drain and toss with ingredients. Apply a bit more olive oil before serving. Sprinkle with cheese.

21 comments:

K and S said...

sounds like perfect comfort food!

Jann said...

It is just that~nice on a cool eve with a glass of white vino! Thanks for stopping by!

Anonymous said...

Hello Jann, thanks for visiting my site. I really like pumpkin, and as we are having pasta tonight, I may be able to persuade by in house cook to use it, though perhaps he won't be so inclined.. Great idea that I will surely try. Great site to peruse here. Best wishes,

Simona Carini said...

Butternut squash is my favorite and I agree with your assessment. I like to use mini pumpkins as birthday cards.

Jann said...

Simona~it is a wonderful tasting food, isn't it! Hope you are well and having fun~

Jann said...

Labelga~Thank you for stopping in! You have some wonderful things going on over at your site~see you again!

MyKitchenInHalfCups said...

We had squash last night roasted! Love it! May have something to do with loving the cool of spring.

Anonymous said...

Delicious! Great idea. Tonight tonight pumpkin pasta it is!

Katie Zeller said...

Had my first butternut squash this week and I loved it! Only 12 to go... I might be able to fit this pasta in...

Anonymous said...

We have some butternut squash at home waiting to see some action. I think you've just shown me what we'll be doing with it! As a slightly different take, I also think maybe a roughly chopped onion roasted along with the squash might add a little depth to the flavor, while still letting the squash shine through.

Caffienated Cowgirl said...

I am a pumpkin freak! This looks so yummy - I'm with Tongue in Cheek, I think this may be dinner tomorrow night...

Jann said...

mykitchen~roasted, I bet that was delicious. Countless ways to cook!

Cory-thanks for stopping by! I don't know how you do it with all the sites you have to visit-I do appreciate your stopping by here!Don't go too light on a good olive oil!

Terry~I think youridea of adding the onion would really be great~I should have thought of that. I think I will throw some in there,have plenty leftover to try it with!

Katiez-I know, you are growing these in your fabulous garden~I would love to visit you sometime and stroll through it!(After we visit the wine cave-hehe!)

Betty Carlson said...

I'm saving up one heck of a lot of pumpkin recipes! Something about pumpking and pasta has never appealed to me that much (except in ravioli,) although I adore the ingridents separately. I assume I'm all wrong in my impressions, though...I think I will try your recipe!

Unknown said...

I'll try it, too, as I have had pretty good luck with these tastes in the past in restaurants...

T.W. Barritt at Culinary Types said...

I think pumpkin and sage are two of my absolute favorite flavors -- it's the goodness of the Earth, and the essence of Autumn.

Jann said...

Cowgirl-I love pumpkins, too-I think Fall is just about the best season for me....so many wonderful things coming from the garden and going to the table!

Jann said...

Betty~ I never thought about using pumpkin and squash much before I started collecting the recipes....now I try to make as many as I can.

Jann said...

Mimi, I thnk this is a recipe that you can add lots of other ingredients to -to beef it up! I actually had some left over and made a three-cheese sauce to pour over and revitalize! Worked wonders after three days of sitting in the frig!

Jann said...

oh yes, T.W.,I love that essence, also~beautiful combination....

MyKitchenInHalfCups said...

Squash, parmesan and then sage, each so perfect with the other two! Pumpkin (and squash) does have the power to stir the imagination.

Peabody said...

I really must start using pumpkin in more savory dishes. I forget how much I love it, until I run across lovely dishes like this.