Half sleeves with pumpkin and honey mushrooms, a first course with the taste and color of autumn, easy and quick to make. Usually at this time, I prepare each ingredient and store it in the freezer, so I can use it whenever I want when preparing my delicious recipes. The important thing is to cook them directly from frozen. For example, in this case, I bought more pumpkin (unfortunately mine are not ready yet), cut it into pieces, and portioned it into many packages. This way, when needed, I can take only what I need. Organization in the kitchen is really important because it saves time and money, especially useful for those who are out all day. This way, we avoid all the ready-made foods that we seek in haste at the supermarket.
Here are some delicious pumpkin and mushroom-based recipes for you:
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 4 people
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Autumn, Winter
Ingredients
- 11.3 oz half sleeves pasta
- 14.1 oz cleaned pumpkin
- 14.1 oz honey mushrooms
- 5.6 oz pork cheek
- 1 clove garlic
- 4 tbsps extra virgin olive oil
- to taste salt and pepper
Tools
- 1 Saucepan
- 1 Pan
- 1 Knife
- 1 Cutting board
Preparation
Remove the rind from the pork cheek (I really like it and I leave it because it softens during cooking) and dice it. Remove the skin from the pumpkin and cut it into small pieces, so it will fit well into the holes of the half sleeves. Finally, remove the roots from the honey mushrooms and rinse them quickly under running water. Dry them well with a cloth and chop them.
In a non-stick pan, put two generous tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, the garlic cut into slices of varying thickness, the pork cheek (you can also use bacon, but pork cheek is definitely better) and sauté over medium-high heat.
Add the pumpkin and honey mushrooms to the sauté, season with salt and let it cook for about 10/15 minutes, until everything is cooked (the time will depend on the size of the pieces). Meanwhile, cook the pasta and once it’s ready, use a slotted spoon to add it to the sauce (I rarely drain it in a colander because the cooking water can always be useful for further mixing).
Mix the half sleeves well with the sauce, adjust the salt and pepper, and add some fresh thyme.
Serve our Half sleeves with pumpkin and honey mushrooms immediately, and if desired, sprinkle with grated Pecorino Romano cheese (if I had used onion instead of garlic, then I would have added Parmesan).
Advice and storage
We can store the pasta in the fridge for a few days or freeze it directly.
If we have time, once defrosted, we can place it in a baking dish, adding béchamel and Parmesan, thus creating a new oven-baked recipe.
Make sure to store it in an airtight container made of glass or ceramic, because plastic is really toxic.
