Roasted Pumpkin and Feta Pasta

madnad

Despite the unseasonably warm and windy weather, I am enjoying October. I am enjoying the autumn foliage, and a return to more wintery dishes. It is also the height of winter squash season. As part of my squash appreciation month, I wanted to do something with feta, as it is one of my favourite cheeses. I wanted it to be easy to prepare, yet tasty. I personally find roasting one of the easiest ways to cook pumpkin. It enhances the natural sweetness ,so that is where I started. 

I used a Blue Hokkaido pumpkin for this dish, as I had never had a one before. It has a pastel bluey-grey skin, and is one of the most attractive squashes I have ever seen. It was slightly nutty, and not as sweet as some squash I have used, so definitely one for savoury dishes. It had an unusual texture, more like that of a roasted chestnut. Don’t worry about using this variety if you can’t get it, as you can use any variety you want, whichever is your favourite or what you can get hold of.

ROASTED PUMPKIN AND FETA PASTA

Sweet pumpkin and salty feta with pasta in a light but tasty sauce

COURSE: Main Course
SERVINGS: 4
AUTHOR: www.mutherfudger.co.uk
INGREDIENTS
  • 800 grams Pumpkin peeled & cubed
  • 2 Medium Red Onions
  • 6 Garlic Cloves skin on
  • Olive Oil
  • Salt and Pepper to season
  • Dried Sage
  • 500 grams Fresh Pasta or 300 dried
  • 200 grams Feta
  • 1 Vegetable Stock Cube
  • 250 ml Pasta Cooking Water
INSTRUCTIONS
  1. Pre-heat oven to 190°C / 375°F / Gas Mark 5
  2. Pull the roots off the onions, leaving the stump. Peel, then chop the stalk end. Cut in half, then each half into 3 wedges
  3. Place the onion and pumpkin on a baking sheet along with the garlic cloves, leaving the skin on but cutting off the small hard root end
  4. Drizzle with olive oil, then season with salt, pepper and a sprinkle of dried sage. Bake for 40, or until the squash and onion are soft, and the edges are starting to caramelise
  5. Remove the pumpkin and onion and leave to cool for a few minutes while you prepare the pasta. As the pasta is cooking, squeeze the roasted garlic out of their skin into a small bowl and mash with approximately 3 tablespoons of olive oil
  6. When the pasta is ready, strain over a mug to retain some of the cooking water
  7. Put the garlic olive oil into a large frying pan. Add the pasta and toss in the hot oil for a couple if minutes
  8. Add the pumpkin, onion, and the feta. Sprinkle over the stock cube, and stir everything gently as the cheese melts
  9. Add the pasta cooking water a little at a time. You want to loosen the pasta a bit, not make it runny
  10. Serve immediately


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