Gapers Block has ceased publication.

Gapers Block published from April 22, 2003 to Jan. 1, 2016. The site will remain up in archive form. Please visit Third Coast Review, a new site by several GB alumni.
 Thank you for your readership and contributions. 

TODAY

Thursday, March 28

Gapers Block
Search

Gapers Block on Facebook Gapers Block on Flickr Gapers Block on Twitter The Gapers Block Tumblr


Drive-Thru
« Time Travel via Garbage Salad Want to Buy a Restaurant But Not Sure Where to Look? »

Recipe Wed Nov 28 2007

A Recipe for Stray Pumpkins

Red ribbons, pine boughs and the less-traditional, but extraordinarily popular, giant inflatable snow globes are appearing in front yards across the city. While I have nothing against Christmas decorations in November, I simply cannot abide the co-mingling of two holidays. I’m talking about pumpkins, stubbornly ponderous and conspicuously orange, still competing for the limelight on random odd front porches.

People, have not your decorative gourds served you well? It’s time to gently (gently) release them into that good night. To help you let go, I’ve whipped up a recipe worthy of any great (or, rather, small to medium) pumpkin.

Here’s what you’ll need:

1 small to medium pumpkin, un-carved
2 Tbsp olive oil, divided
10 fresh sage leaves, divided
5 garlic cloves, halved
1 c vegetable broth (or, for non-vegans, ½ cup vegetable broth, ½ cup heavy cream)
1 box whole wheat penne, cooked al dente
1 14-oz. can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1 Tbsp honey, optional (vegan alternative: 1 Tbsp natural sugar; you may not need sweetener at all depending on your pumpkin and your taste)
Salt
Pepper

First, preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Cut off the top of the pumpkin and scoop out the seeds and innards, as you would if you were carving a jack-o’-lantern. Resist the urge to sculpt Santa or Rudolph into the pumpkin; you had your chance at pumpkin carving greatness in October.

Once the inside of the pumpkin is prepared, use one tablespoon of olive oil to coat the inside. Rub a halved garlic clove around the interior, and do the same with half of the sage leaves. Place these and an additional 2 garlic cloves inside the pumpkin. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place the pumpkin on a large rimmed baking sheet, and bake for about 45 minutes, or until pumpkin walls begin to collapse and flesh can easily be scooped away from the skin.

(If you didn’t start with cooked pasta, now is a good time to get out the pasta pot. Likewise, rinse and drain your beans and warm your vegetable broth. Also, don’t worry about draining the pasta bone dry: it’s good to reserve a bit of pasta water, even up to a half of a cup, to help the sauce adhere to the pasta.)

Once the pumpkin is roasted, scoop out about four cups, including the roasted sage leaves and garlic cloves. If you have fewer than four cups, simply adjust the amount of broth/heavy cream you add to make the sauce. If you have more than four cups, feel free to store the remaining pumpkin to eat as a side dish on another day.

Add four cups of pumpkin and one cup of vegetable broth to a food processor. Process until the mixture reaches the consistency of smooth, store-bought apple sauce (think Motts – or, somewhat less appealing, baby food). If you opt to go the non-vegan route, add the ½ cup vegetable broth and honey first, process, then slowly drizzle in ½ cup heavy cream. Now is also the time to decide whether you want to add sweetener, either honey or sugar.

In a large sauté pan, heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add two garlic cloves and the rest of the sage leaves and cook about one minute, until fragrant. Remove garlic and sage from the pan with a slotted spoon.

Add the cannellini beans and cooked pasta to the pan and sauté three or four minutes. Then, mix in the pumpkin sauce and cook another two minutes or so to allow the sauce to incorporate into the pasta and beans.

If you're not a vegan, this tastes great with parmesan cheese sprinkled on top. If you are, enjoy as is, or garnish with a bit of minced sage.

 
GB store
GB store

Feature Thu Dec 31 2015

The State of Food Writing

By Brandy Gonsoulin

In 2009, food blogging, social media and Yelp were gaining popularity, and America's revered gastronomic magazine Gourmet shuttered after 68 years in business. Former Cook's Illustrated editor-in-chief Chris Kimball followed with an editorial, stating that "The shuttering of Gourmet reminds...
Read this feature »

GB store

 

Events


Drive-Thru on Flickr

Join the Drive-Thru Flickr Pool.


About Drive-Thru

Drive-Thru is the food and drink section of Gapers Block, covering the city's vibrant dining, drinking and cooking scene. More...
Please see our submission guidelines.

Editor: Robyn Nisi, rn@gapersblock.com
Drive-Thru staff inbox: drivethru@gapersblock.com

Archives

 

 Subscribe in a reader.

GB store

GB Store

GB Buttons $1.50

GB T-Shirt $12

I ✶ Chi T-Shirts $15