Gemelli Pasta With Roasted Pumpkin And Pancetta Recipes

GEMELLI PASTA WITH ROASTED PUMPKIN AND PANCETTA

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Pile diced pumpkin on the baking sheet. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil and toss lightly to coat. Spread pumpkin out and sprinkle with thyme, salt, and pepper.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes. Remove and set aside.
• Bring a large pot of unsalted water to a boil. Add gemelli pasta and boil until just nearly tender, about 9 minutes.
• Heat remaining olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add pancetta and cook until starting to brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the roasted pumpkin and cook, stirring frequently, 2 to 3 minutes more. Pour in chicken broth and bring to a boil.
• Drain pasta and add to the pan with the pumpkin mixture. Continue cooking until pasta is tender yet firm to the bite, 1 to 2 minutes more. Serve immediately, topped with Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.

PUMPKIN PASTA WITH WINTER HERBS AND PARMESAN CHEESE

Steps:

• In a large pot, bring 6 quarts of water to a rolling boil. Add a generous amount of salt. The pasta water should taste like sea water. Add the pasta to the pot and stir so it doesn't stick to the bottom as it cooks. Cook the pasta according to package instructions, 8 to 10 minutes. Reserve some of the pasta cooking water. Drain the pasta in a colander and hold it there until the sauce is finished.
• While the pasta is cooking, heat the oil in a large, high-sided skillet over medium heat until it shimmers. Add the sage sprigs and cook until crispy but not browned, about 1 minute. Transfer with a slotted spoon to a paper towel-lined plate and set aside. Fry the rosemary sprigs in the same hot oil until crispy but not browned, about 1 minute. Transfer to the same plate. Sprinkle the fried herbs with salt. Remove the leaves from the stems (discard the stems). Discard the oil or save for another use.
• Return the skillet to medium heat and melt and cook 8 tablespoons (1 stick) of butter until it starts to turn light brown. Add the ginger and garlic and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the pumpkin, sugar and some of the reserved pasta water. Stir in about 1/2 cup of Parmesan. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter. Add the cooked pasta to the skillet and warm gently, tossing to coat the pasta with the sauce. Stir in some of the fried sage and rosemary. Top with the remaining Parmesan and fried herbs.

ORECCHIETTE WITH PANCETTA, PUMPKIN AND BROCCOLI RABE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Toss the pumpkin with olive oil and salt and place in a single layer on a sheet tray. Bake in the oven until soft, about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and reserve.
• Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Set up a bowl of well-salted ice water. Drop the broccoli rabe into the pot of boiling water, swirl it around, remove it from the water and immediately plunge into the salty ice water. Reserve the boiling water. Remove the broccoli rabe from the ice water, squeeze out the excess water and reserve.
• Coat a large saute pan with olive oil and add the pancetta and red pepper flakes. Bring the pan to medium heat and cook the pancetta until brown and crispy. Add the roasted pumpkin and about 3/4 cup of the broccoli rabe cooking water. Simmer until the water reduces by half, about 2 minutes.
• Meanwhile, add the orecchiette to the reserved boiling broccoli rabe water and cook until al dente, about 1 minute less than the cooking time says on the box. Remove the pasta from the water and add to the pan with the pancetta and pumpkin. Add the broccoli rabe and about 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water. Cook until the water has evaporated and the sauce clings to the pasta, about 1 minute. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with the grated parmigiana. Toss vigorously.
• Divide the pasta among dishes, sprinkle with a little more grated parm and top with the roasted green pumpkin seeds.

PASTA WITH ROASTED GARLIC, PANCETTA AND ARUGULA

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375 degrees. Trim hairy root and green stem from green garlic, or trim 1/4-inch off top of regular garlic, making sure to expose all cloves.
• Place garlic in a small, shallow baking dish, root side down, and drizzle each with a little olive oil. Cover dish with foil. Roast until cloves or bulbs are golden brown, about 40 minutes to 1 hour (green garlic will cook faster than regular garlic). If bottom of dish starts to burn before garlic is roasted, add one tablespoon water. Transfer to a rack to cool. Garlic can be roasted up to one day ahead; wrap well and store in refrigerator.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook according to package directions until al dente.
• While pasta cooks, heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet on medium-high heat. Add pancetta and red pepper flakes. Sauté until pancetta is golden and crisp around edges, about 5 minutes.
• Peel outside layer of green garlic, or if using regular garlic, squeeze cloves from their papery skins. Chop roasted garlic, and add to skillet with lemon juice and a large pinch of salt and pepper. Sauté for 2 minutes.
• Drain pasta, reserving 1/2 cup cooking water. Add drained pasta and arugula to skillet, place over low heat, and toss until arugula wilts. Add just enough cooking water to scrape up brown bits in pan (do this 1 tablespoon at a time). Taste and adjust seasoning, then serve with Parmesan.

PASTA WITH BUTTERNUT SQUASH AND SAGE

Steps:

• Cook onion in oil in a large nonstick skillet over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until golden. Finely chop squash pieces in a food processor and add to onion with water and salt to taste. Simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, 15 minutes, or until squash is tender. Add sage and simmer 1 minute more. Cook pasta in a 6-quart pot of boiling salted water until al dente. Reserve 1 cup cooking liquid in a cup and drain pasta. Return pasta to pot and add squash mixture, parsley, 1 cup parmesan, butter, and plenty of freshly ground black pepper, stirring until butter is melted. Season with salt and add some of reserved pasta cooking liquid to moisten if necessary.
• Serve sprinkled with additional parmesan.