The fresh pumpkin pasta is made with two ingredients (three if we consider the pinch of salt): pumpkin pulp and semolina. I chose pumpkin because I wanted this beautiful orange color and because I had a nice whole Delica pumpkin at home, but you can replace it with your preferred vegetables like turnips, arugula, or spinach. It is a somewhat delicate recipe for fresh pumpkin pasta because finding the right balance is not easy. It’s a bit like gnocchi, you know? Grandma used to say “the flour that pulls.” Why? I’ll explain everything in the notes below. And I’ll leave you all the possible indications to allow you to remake this fresh pumpkin pasta.
Not to be missed
- Difficulty: Medium
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 50 Minutes
- Portions: 2 people
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Autumn, Winter
Ingredients
- 10.5 oz semolina flour (preferably re-milled)
- 7 oz cooked pumpkin pulp
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3.5 tbsp butter
- 1 bunch sage leaves
- to taste grated parmesan
Tools
- 1 Bowl
- 1 Dough Scraper
- 1 Pasta Pot
- 1 Shallow Casserole
- 1 Slotted Spoon
Steps
Cook the Delica pumpkin: in the article “Cooking a Whole Pumpkin in the Oven” you will find all the detailed explanations. When the pumpkin is ready, scoop out the pulp and let it cool. Transfer the pumpkin pulp into a bowl. Add the semolina and salt. Work the dough to get a soft and non-sticky dough ball. Form a long strip of dough and cut it into small pieces. Boil the pasta in plenty of salted water for 4/5 minutes. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a shallow casserole with a few sage leaves. When the pasta is cooked, drain it with a slotted spoon and pour it directly into the sauce. Add grated parmesan, mix gently, and serve.
Notes and Tips
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The absorption rate of flour changes. It changes if you change the type of flour and sometimes even if you use the specified flour but from a different brand.
Pumpkin makes a difference. The best for this preparation is the Delica. The method of cooking the pumpkin also makes a difference. Whole in the oven, it is drier and won’t require too much flour.
I often read under similar preparations “after cooking it was very hard”. Here the problem is too much flour. Flour the work surface just enough to cut without it sticking, but if you see it soft and not dry inside, that’s fine: the boiling water will do its job, and the pasta will be firm just right. If you make the dough too firm, the pasta will be hard when cooked.
Let the pumpkin cool. If you add it hot, the dough will remain sticky and require more flour, which will discourage you, and you’ll throw it all away, or you’ll have too hard pasta.
If you change the flour, the result will change. If you think you’ll have difficulty with “the flour that pulls,” then use re-milled semolina flour because it absorbs moisture better and will be a bit less hassle.
“This pasta has no flavor.” Pumpkin on its own doesn’t have much taste. It’s a colorful pasta. Play with the seasoning to give it flavor.
They are gnocchi. No. The real gnocchi have potatoes. Here we have water and flour. It’s a fresh semolina pasta.
