Today we talk about penne with pumpkin and salted cod, a very tasty, delicious, easy, substantial, and quick to make fish first course. An unusual combination for me, but one that pleasantly surprised me for its goodness and, above all, for the delicacy of the flavors and aromas. The sweetness of the pumpkin pairs perfectly with the saltiness of the salted cod, and a pinch of chili enhances their flavors together. I don’t particularly like dishes that contain chili, but in this case, just a pinch makes it special. To prepare penne with pumpkin and salted cod, we can also use boiled salted cod, perhaps leftover from a previous recipe, as I did.
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Medium
- Preparation time: 30 Minutes
- Portions: 4
- Cooking methods: Boiling, Stove
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Autumn, Winter, and Spring
Ingredients
- 9 oz ridged penne (also gluten-free)
- 1.1 lbs pumpkin
- 10.6 oz desalted salted cod
- 1 chili pepper (fresh or powdered)
- to taste parsley
- 5 cherry tomatoes
- 1 clove garlic
- to taste extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp dry white wine or sparkling wine
Steps
1) Remove the skin from the pumpkin and cut it into very small cubes to cook it better and faster.
2) Clean the salted cod, removing bones and skin with the help of a small knife. Cut it into small pieces. Any cut of salted cod can be used.
If you encounter difficulties in this step, here’s a trick that will make it easier: boil it.
– Bring water to a boil and add the salted cod cut into large pieces.
– Turn off the heat, cover, and leave it in the boiling water for at most 10/15 minutes.
– After this time, drain it, remove the skin (which will come off easily) and the bones, which will all be visible. Remember that in this case, the salted cod has already undergone a first cooking, so it should be added to the pumpkin almost towards the end of cooking.
3) Bring water to a boil for the pasta and, in the meantime, sauté a clove of garlic in its skin and a pinch of chili powder or a tip of a chili pepper in extra virgin olive oil.
4) When the garlic is well browned, remove it, add the pumpkin and pieces of salted cod, and let them brown for a couple of minutes over high heat, stirring often.
5) Pour in 1 tablespoon of white wine (or sparkling wine), let the alcohol evaporate, add the cherry tomatoes already washed, dried, and cut into pieces, cover, lower the heat, and let the pumpkin soften. When the pumpkin is soft, we can also mash some with a fork to make the dish even creamier and more delicious.
6) As soon as the pasta is al dente, drain it (reserving a glass of the cooking water) and add it to the pumpkin and salted cod sauce.
Keeping the heat not too high, toss it in the sauce for about a minute so that the pasta absorbs flavors and aromas; additionally, by adding a few tablespoons of cooking water as needed and stirring often, the pasta will release starch, and the sauce will stick better. Complete with more chopped parsley and serve immediately.
7) You will notice that I have not added salt either to the sauce or the pasta because the salted cod I used was quite salty. Otherwise, add salt according to your taste.
Chili pepper can be replaced by freshly ground white pepper.
