MMM Pumpkin!

I know, I haven't posted in nearly a week, but it's been pretty crazy. Just to catch you up, we have been having a lot of leftovers, and even ordered in at the end of last week (Chinese food--YUM!). But last Thursday, I was lucky enough to make a trip to Stew Leonard's, a magical place I had never had the pleasure of exploring. Unfortunately, we were on a mission and in a bit of a rush, so I didn't have a chance to wander aimlessly and pick out a ton of ingredients I didn't need. But I did buy something I've been craving since I made the Butternut Squash soup: a PUMPKIN! So last Friday was quite a day for pumpkin, and last night we finally finished it off.


On friday, I made 2 things with the pumpkin. First, the Butternut Squash soup was so delicious, and it ran out sooo quickly, I just wanted more. So I made the soup again, but this time, with pumpkin. DELICIOUS! I highly recommend it. Second, we were having an Octoberfest party. So I decided, since I had the pumpkin, some pumpkin bread would be a nice snack. I'm gonna give you a link to the recipe, because I didn't come up with the recipe on my own, but I recommend if you make them yourself, to use mini muffin tins (they're bite size morsels of goodness!) and then grind up some flax seeds and some extra pecans and sprinkle them over the top to create a nice crust. They're absolutely adorable.


http://glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com/2010/10/gluten-free-pumpkin-muffins.html  (she's a Genius!)


Just a quick synopsis of the snacks I served at the party if you plan to have an Octoberfest Party of your own, I cut several Bratwurst sausages on a bias and grilled them, then put them on a platter with toothpicks and a bowl of grainy mustard and another of slightly warmed sour kraut. I also just got a block of cheese and some crackers. Simple but delicious!


Well, since there was some pumpkin leftover, I decided to try a recipe I have tried in the past, but with fresh pumpkin, since I had some around. This is not my recipe either, its a Rachael recipe, but I made a couple small changes, so I'll post it.


Short-Cut Pasta with Pumpkin and Sausage
1 8-oz package gluten-free pasta (Ancient Harvest Quinoa or Deboles Gluten-Free Multigrain Penne), cooked just shy of al dente
1/2 lb hot italian sausage (about 2 sausages)
2-3 cloves garlic, grated
1 shallot or half a medium onion, chopped
1 bay leaf
6-8 leaves fresh sage, cut into a thin chiffonade
2/3 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup stock (chicken or vegetable)
1 cup roasted pumpkin, smashed
1/4 cup heavy cream
Pinch of cinnamon
1/4 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
Grated Parmesan


Begin by putting a pot of water on the stove to boil for the pasta. Remove the sausage from its casing and cook in a large saute pan until brown. Drain the oil from the sausage and transfer the sausage to a paper towel-lined plate.  Return the saute pan to medium heat and cook the onion until it just begins to soften (add a little olive oil if necessary), then grate in the garlic and cook another minute. Add the bay leaf, sage and white wine to the pan until the wine is reduced by half. Add the stock and pumpkin and stir to combine. Return the sausage to the pan, reduce the heat and add the cream. Add the cinnamon, nutmeg and season with salt and pepper. Add some starchy cooking water and the drained pasta and allow to simmer for 3-5 minutes, until the sauce is thickened and the pasta is al dente. Sprinkle with parmesan and serve.


This pasta is really delicious. So warming and comforting. However, it has no green vegetables in it. So I just sauteed a couple cloves of garlic, chopped, with olive oil in a medium sauce pan and wilted in some dark greens (such as kale, chard, spinach, etc.), seasoned with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Its a wonderful side dish and the nutmeg in the greens reflects the nutmeg in the pasta, so the dishes really complement one another.


Happy eating!