Pappardelle with Pumpkin and Chorizo

Pumpkin and chorizo were made to dance with each other. The earthy sweetness of the pumpkin is perfect with the smoky paprika flavour of the chorizo. I often roast small cubes of pumpkin and toss them with chorizo that I have pan-fried just until the edges are crispy, then scatter over a bed of baby spinach leaves and strips of roasted capsicum and top with shaved parmesan and toasted pine-nuts for a very moreish side to roast chicken or lamb.  It’s one of our favourites. The flavours just work so well together. That’s how I came up with the idea for this pasta dish.

You may think using pureed pumpkin to dress pasta is a bit odd, but hear me out. First, you roast the pumpkin which gives it a beautiful sweet, earthy flavour, then puree it just as you would if you were making pumpkin soup. Now here’s where the flavour comes in. Add roasted capsicum (you can roast them yourself or just use store-bought), garlic, basil, a little chilli, a little tomato paste and a touch of cream. At first glance it looks a little like baby food, but is so packed with flavour it is far from it. You could add a little stock or more cream to loosen it and eat it as soup of you like, but tossed through pasta with smoky chorizo it is seriously good.

Of course, you can use any type of pasta here, but I like the thick strands of pappardelle as the sauce really clings well to it. I like Barilla egg noodles because they are beautiful and thin, almost like home-made – but use what you’ve got on hand.

Pappardelle with Pumpkin and Chorizo

Ingredients

1 Butternut pumpkin (around 2kg)

olive oil

1 garlic clove

100g roasted red capsicum, seeds removed

1/4 cup tomato paste

1/2 cup cream

3/4  cup chicken or vegetable stock

4 fresh basil leaves

1/4 tsp dried chilli flakes

salt

freshly ground black pepper

2 chorizo, skin removed, sliced

400g pappardelle pasta

small handful of basil (extra), chopped

75g pine-nuts, toasted

shaved parmesan, for serving

Ingredients

Preheat oven to 180 C. Cut the pumpkin in half,  and place on a lined baking tray. Drizzle with olive oil and bake for 40 minutes, or flesh is tender. Scoop the flesh out, discarding the skins and seeds, and place into the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until the mixture forms a smooth puree.

Add the garlic clove, capsicum, tomato paste, stock, basil and chilli and pulse until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste and pulse to combine. Set aside.

Place a frypan over medium heat and add the sliced chorizo. Cook, turning often, until edges are crisp. Remove from heat.

Meanwhile cook the pappardelle in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente. Drain, reserving a cupful of cooking water.

Place the frypan back over medium heat and add the pumpkin sauce and the pappardelle. Toss everything to combine. If the mixture seems too thick add a little of the cooking water.

Add the chopped basil and pine-nuts, toss again and serve immediately with shaved parmesan.

 

Serves 4