Pasta A La Pumpkin, Prosciutto, Goat Cheese and Crisp Sage Leaves
Introducing our cosy, Pasta a la Pumpkin, Prosciutto, Goat Cheese and Crisp Sage Leaves. This is not your average pumpkin pasta. Roasted pumpkin, Spanish onion softened down with a knob of salted butter, and vegetable stock - all pureed into a creamy pumpkin sauce that's vibrant and oh so delicious! This pasta is finished off with crispy prosciutto, creamy marinated goat cheese, butter crisped sage leaves, and lashings of garlic infused olive oil for a dinner that's mouth watering and beyond delicious. It's a great pasta to serve any night of the week! Read on for the recipe.
Time
30 minutes to roast the pumpkin, 15 mins to finish the dish.
Serves
4 people
Ingredients
¼ pumpkin (we used Kent)
3 knobs of butter (salted is fine)
Handful of sage leaves
100g sliced prosciutto
1 Spanish onion, finely diced
Pasta, we used egg pappardelle by Cucina Matese (which you can get from Coles)
1/2 cup chicken stock
Meredith's Marinated Goat Cheese (1 cube per person)
Sea salt and cracked pepper, for seasoning
Garlic infused olive oil, for drizzling - you can also use olive oil
Method
Preheat the oven to 250C on Fan Grill.
Cut pumpkin into wedges, spoon the seeds out and leave the skin on. Place the pumpkin in a baking dish or sheet pan, drizzle with garlic infused olive oil (or normal olive oil) and season with salt and pepper. Once the oven has pre-heated, change it to fan forced and place the pumpkin in the oven for approximately 30 minutes until roasted and it's nice and soft, but not charred on the outside.
While the pumpkin is roasting, melt a knob of butter in a small pan on a medium heat until it starts to bubble. Place the sage leaves in the pot of hot butter and fry till crunchy. Careful not to burn the leaves. Remove the crispy leaves from the butter, and set aside on a plate.
Heat a pan on medium heat, then melt a knob of butter in the pan until it starts to bubble. Place a couple of slices of prosciutto in the pan and lightly fry on both sides for a few seconds, until it starts to shrivel and turn golden brown in some sections. Remove the crispy prosciutto from the butter, and set aside on cooling rack or plate. You may need to repeat this step a few times until all of your prosciutto is crisp. You don't want to overload your pan each time with prosciutto slices as this will affect the heat of the pan. Tip: If your butter starts to burn, simply pour it out. Wait for the pan to cool down slightly, and put another knob of butter in the pan. Then you can start crisping your prosciutto again.
Put the same pan onto low heat and add another knob of butter. Add the diced onions and leave for approximately five to 10 minutes to soften them, remember to stir occasionally. Once the onions have sweated down, place them into a blender or food processor.
Take the pumpkin out of the oven and set aside.
Taking care (because the pumpkin will be hot) scoop the pumpkin out of the skin using tongs and a spoon, and place the pumpkin into a blender or food processor.
Blitz the pumpkin into a puree. You may need to add 1/2 cup vegetable stock to make the pumpkin sauce creamy, not sticky. Start by slowly adding a bit at a time; you may not need all of the stock. This puree is the sauce for your pasta.
Cook your pasta as per the instructions with a dash of salt, we used egg pappardelle by Cucina Metese.
Strain the pasta. Fold in the pumpkin puree. The consistency should be creamy, so more is better.
Serve on a plate or bowl. Scrunch up a slice of crisp prosciutto in your hand, and squish it in between the pasta.
Break up a cube of goat cheese and sprinkle over the top of the pasta.
Garnish with the crisp sage leaves and drizzle with garlic olive oil. Season with sea salt and cracked pepper. And as always, enjoy!
