Italian Vegetarian Recipes

Pumpkin in Rialto Market

Pumpkin is a vegetable that lends itself quite well to many culinary preparations.

You will usually find it on Italian markets in late summer and autumn and thanks to its sweet taste is an excellent ingredient for both savory and sweet recipes. In fact, the pumpkin in the kitchen is a real wild card: it is used to prepare various dishes, from first courses to desserts, to main course as well as side dishes.

In Veneto it is the star of many recipes, both savory and sweet, like Zucca in Saor.

It is one of the main ingredients of Cook in Venice‘s cooking classes in Italy.

Penne con la zucca -  Pasta penne with pumpkin sauce

Ingredients for 4 people:

400 gr. of pasta penne
350 gr. of pumpkin

1/2 onion, chopped
2 spoons of extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper
Parmisan cheese
Ginger

PREPARATION

• Slice the onion finely.
  

  Slicing Onions with Ceramica Knives by U-Cook Italia

   

• Cut the pumpkin into small cubes.
  

  Slicing pumpking with U-Cook ceramic knives

• Put the olive olive in frying pan and fry gently the sliced onion until soft.
• Once soft, add the pumpkin cubes.

• Add a little bit of water, salt and pepper and some ginger (to your taste)

• Cook gently for about 15 minutes, until the pumpkin is nice and soft.

• Put the onion and the pumpkin into a blender and blend until you have a smooth cream.

• Cook the pasta penne in some boiling salty water, drain and add the pasta to the cream.
• Serve with lots of Parmisan Cheese.