3 Italian pumpkin recipes for fall season

Italian pumpkin recipes

The queen of the table - alongside mushrooms - at this time of the year is undoubtedly the pumpkin: to be harvested in October, it will last for months if stored whole in cool, dry places. Italian cuisine celebrates it in many tasty dishes, mainly in risottos or in stuffed pasta, but also cooked in the pan or in the oven as a tempting side dish, in soups and even better in creams, in savoury crepes or quiches. There are several varieties to choose from: the most common are cucurbita maxima (Chioggia sea pumpkin), cucurbita moschata (Long of Naples) and cucurbita pepe (Mantua squash). Here are three delicious recipes to try.

Pumpkin tortelli

For the pasta

300 g flour

3 eggs

2 tablespoons of milk

For the filling

1 kg pumpkin

100 g amaretti biscuits

100 g mustard

80 g parmesan cheese

Nutmeg

Salt

Pepper

For the sauce

100 g butter

Parmesan cheese

Cut the pumpkin into slices and cook it in the oven at 160°C for about 30 minutes. Peel the pumpkin and blend it together with the amaretti biscuits, some mustard, parmesan cheese and nutmeg. Mix all the ingredients together and let them rest for a few hours. Sift the flour, add the eggs, the milk and a pinch of salt. Knead the dough and let it rest for 30 minutes. Roll out the dough and cut it into thick stripes. Place a bit of filling along the longest side of each strip and refold the other side of the dough over the filling. Cut the tortelli and cook them in boiling water. Season the tortelli with melted butter and parmesan cheese.

Sicilian style pumpkin

1 kg pumpkin

1 glass of vinegar

3 tablespoons of sugar

3 garlic cloves

1 handful of fresh mint leaves

Salt

Olive oil

Peel the pumpkin and cut it into slices. Place different layers of pumpkin slices in a bowl with a handful of salt and let them rest to lose part of the water. Dry the pumpkin slices and heat some olive oil in a pan. Fry the pumpkin and then cover it with a few garlic slices and some mint. Warm up the vinegar, mix it with sugar and pour the mixture over the pumpkin.

Pumpkin puree

1.5 kg pumpkin

¼ liter of milk

60 g butter

Nutmeg

Salt

Peel the pumpkin and cut it into slices, then cook it in boiling water for about 15 minutes. Blend it and then place it in a pot and cook it for a few minutes. Add the butter and then the boiling milk. Mix together and add some nutmeg and salt.

by Michela Becchi