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MAC & CHEESE - Mac and Cheese with Pumpkin or Squash - Pumpkin Maccheroncini
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Yield: an Utterly Irresistible Macaroni and Cheese
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| WSJ Pumpkin Maccheroncini What you need here is an eating pumpkin or hard winter squash. Varieties to look for include rouge vif d’Etampes, cheese pumpkins, kuri pumpkins and squashes such as butternut, buttercup, acorn and Hubbard. We especially like kabocha for its bright-orange color. Sometimes maccheroncini are sold as long noodles, but for this recipe you want short maccheroncini, about 2½ inches long. Total Time: 45 minutes Serves: 4-6 | |
| 2½ pounds | peeled and seeded pumpkin |
| winter squash, alternative | |
| 4 tablespoons | extra virgin olive oil |
| 5 large leaves | fresh sage |
| 2 cloves | garlic, smashed |
| Sea salt | |
| freshly ground black pepper | |
| ½ cup | pumpkin seeds |
| 1 pound | maccheroncini |
| ½ cup | grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or grana padano, plus more to pass at table |
Recipe for an Utterly Irresistible Macaroni and Cheese
1. Toast pumpkin seeds: Heat oven to 350 degrees. Set seeds on a dry baking tray and toast in oven until they start to brown and crisp, about 10 minutes, taking care not to let them burn. Immediately turn seeds out on a board. When cool, chop coarsely and set aside.
2. Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Meanwhile, grate squash on the largest holes of a box grater. You should have about 4 cups of grated squash.
3. Gently heat 3 tablespoons oil in a heavy-bottomed skillet large enough to hold squash. Fry sage leaves until crisp, about 2 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and set on a paper towel to drain. Add garlic to oil, raise heat slightly and cook, turning and flattening garlic cloves with a spatula, until they are brown and have thoroughly impregnated oil with their flavor. Remove browned cloves and discard.
4. Raise heat to high and add half of shredded squash to skillet. Toss and stir continuously, seasoning with salt as you toss, until squash is brown and crisp in parts but not too soft and mushy, 3-4 minutes. Remove from pan and repeat with remaining squash. When all squash is cooked, combine batches in skillet and stir in toasted pumpkin seeds. Reduce heat to very low.
5. Add salt and pasta to rapidly boiling water and cook according to package directions until pasta is al dente.
6.Check squash mixture at this point and if it seems a bit dry, add a ladleful or two of the pasta water and mix it in over low heat.
7. When pasta is cooked, drain and transfer to a warm serving bowl. Stir squash and pumpkin seeds into pasta and add remaining 1 tablespoon oil and grated Parmigiano. Toss to mix well and crumble fried sage leaves over top. Season generously with pepper. Serve immediately, passing more grated cheese at the table.
—Recipe adapted from “The Four Seasons of Pasta” by Nancy Harmon Jenkins and Sara Jenkins, to be published Oct. 6 by Avery.
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