Like all things (in my personal opinion) Italians make everything better. While dining at Pizzeria Da Attilio in Naples, I had a piece of pizza with pumpkin sauce instead of traditional pizza sauce. It was fantastic. I didn’t even realize right away it was pumpkin and describing the flavor as”not overly pumpkin” is right up my alley.
To be frank, I am not a pumpkin or pumpkin spice fan. Only once, have I taken a grimaced sip of a PSL to further confirm my distaste and I’ve never purchased anything pumpkin flavored with the first crisp breeze of fall.
My appetite was piqued when I saw this recipe on How Sweet Eats by my eternal chef girl-crush Jessica Merchant. I love, I mean love cacio e pepe. It’s simple, but when done right, remarkable. The addition of fresh pumpkin (it’s perfectly in season right now) is divine. Again, not overly pumpkin-y and no where near the cringe I feel when I think of a PSL.
What You’ll Need:
1/2 pound pasta of your choice
1 to 2 cups reserved pasta water
1 teaspoon olive oil
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 cloves garlic, finely minced or pressed
1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper, plus extra for topping
⅔ cup pumpkin puree
pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
1 cup finely grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup finely grated pecorino cheese
parmesan shavings for topping
The How To:
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Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and prepare the pasta according to the package directions. Once the pasta has cooked, you’ll want to make sure to reserve 2 cups of the pasta water.
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While the water is boiling & pasta is cooking, heat a large skillet over medium-low heat and add the oil and 2 tablespoons of butter. Once the butter melts, stir in the garlic with a pinch of salt and all of the pepper. Toast for 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the pumpkin puree until combined.
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Stir in 1 cup of the reserved pasta water. Stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and the nutmeg and bring the mixture to a simmer. Add in pasta and toss it together. Reduce the heat to low and stir in the parmesan and pecorino. Toss until the cheese is melted and becomes somewhat of a sauce with the water and the pasta. If needed, you can add in more of the reserved pasta water to thin out the sauce.
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Serve immediately with extra parmesan shavings and freshly cracked black pepper.
- Enjoy!
Original recipe here.
Cheers,
