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PASTA

How to make real Neapolitan pasta with pumpkin

Pumpkin and parmesan star in this seasonal comfort food from Naples, loved across the whole of Italy. Food writer Silvana Lanzetta shows us how to make it.

Published: 6 December 2019 09:57 CET
How to make real Neapolitan pasta with pumpkin
Photo: DepositPhotos

Pasta with pumpkin (pasta e cocozza in Neapolitan) is a recipe commonly found all over Italy, but especially in Naples – where this recipe comes from – and Southern Italy

In fact, it's the quintessential recipe from the Neapolitan “cucina povera” tradition: a few simple ingredients, cooked in one pot (in Italian this is called a minestra), but packing in a lot of flavour.

READ ALSO: Silvana's ten golden rules for cooking pasta like the Italians

Minestre (plural) are the most typical winter food in Italy. They started as vegetable soups, to which stale bread was added to both soak up the broth and bulk up the meal.

As pasta became more democratic (as it was for many centuries the food of the rich) thanks to industrialization and mass production, the bread was slowly replaced by pasta, and this tasty minestra has taken on the form we know today.

Ingredients:

  • 300 gr egg-free farfalle pasta (or other short pasta of your choice)

  • 500 gr pumpkin (weighed with seeds and skin)

  • 4 garlic cloves

  • 1 liter of water or vegetable stock

  • 4 tbsps extra-virgin olive oil

  • A handful of chopped parsley

  • A pinch of shredded chili pepper (optional)

  • Salt and pepper to taste

Photo: Depositphotos

Method:

First you need to clean the pumpkin: slice it open, and with a spoon scrape away all the seeds. Then, with a large knife, remove the skin. Be careful, as the skin is very hard: you’ll have a much easier time by tackling a thin slice at the time. Once the pumpkin is clean, dice it in small cubes of about 1 cm.

 

    1. In a very large, thick-bottomed pan, add the extra-virgin olive oil, the crushed garlic, andthe chili pepper if usng. Turn on the heat very low, and let cook for a few minutes, taking care that the garlic doesn’t burn. TIP: to add more flavour, add the parsley stems (without the leaves) tied up in a bunch with food-grade string, and remove them before adding the pumpkin. Lots of flavour guaranteed.

    2. Add the diced pumpkin, and saute for a few minutes, stirring so the oil coats evenly all the cubes.

    3. Add about 200ml of water, allow to boil, then cover the pan and lower the heat. Leave to simmer for 10-15 minutes. Stir occasionally to make sure that the pumpkin is not sticking to the bottom, and that there’s enough water.

    4. Boil one liter of water (or vegetable stock, if preferred) and add 300 ml of it to the pot. Season with salt and pepper Stir in the pasta and, if necessary add more water or stock. Cook for 6-7 minutes, then taste to make sure that the pasta is cooked al dente and the seasoning to your taste.. Don’t be tempted to add too much water, just add if its been comletely absorbed and the pasta is not cooked yet. Pasta with pumpkin is ready when the pasta is cooked al dente and covered uniformly with the creamy pumpkin sauce, and there’s no water left 

    5. Remove from the heat, stir in the chopped parsley and serve with grated Parmesan


    • Silvana Lanzetta. Photo: Private

     

    Silvana Lanzetta was born into a family of pasta makers from Naples and spent 17 years as a part-time apprentice in her grandmother’s pasta factory. She specializes in making pasta entirely by hand and runs regular classes and workshops in London.

    Find out more at her website, Pastartist.com, including this recipe and others.

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    FOOD AND DRINK

    Six of the most Italian non-alcoholic aperitivo drinks

    As well as its most famous cocktails, Italy has a long tradition of making refreshing aperitivo drinks without the alcohol.

    Published: 11 April 2024 12:01 CEST
    Six of the most Italian non-alcoholic aperitivo drinks

    Italy’s favourite aperitivo-hour cocktails are known far beyond the country’s borders, so their names will probably be familiar to you whether you drink them or not.

    But if you’re in Italy and not drinking alcohol, you might find yourself stumped when it comes time to order your aperitivo at the bar.

    The first time I found myself in this situation, there was no menu. The waiter instead rattled off a long list of all the soft drinks available, most of which I’d never heard of, and I just picked something I thought sounded nice.

    Luckily it turns out that Italy has some great options for an aperitivo analcolico. As well as ‘virgin’ versions of well-known cocktails, there are bitters, sodas and other Italian-made soft drinks that you’re unlikely to find anywhere else.

    They might not be quite as iconic as the Aperol Spritz, but they’re as thoroughly Italian – plus, effortlessly ordering one of these will make you look like a true local.

    SanBittèr

    San Pellegrino’s SanBittèr is one of the most famous non-alcoholic Italian drinks of all, with its highly-recognisable red packaging, often enjoyed in place of Campari cocktails because of its similar dark, ruby-red color.

    This drink is carbonated with a slightly sweet, citrus flavor. The recipe is more complex than that of an orange or lemon soda, with notes of spice and herbs, making it ideal to pair with your aperitivo-hour snacks.

    Crodino

    Crodino looks a lot like an Aperol Spritz with its bright orange hue, and that’s not an accident: it’s said to have been created as a non-alcoholic alternative, and the zesty, slightly herbal taste is similar. It’s typically served the same way. in a round goblet glass over ice with a slice of orange: a Crodino Spritz.

    The name comes from the town of Crodo in Piedmont, where it is still bottled today by the Campari group.

    Chinotto

    Citrusy Chinotto is an acquired taste for many, but it’s worth trying: it’s one of the classic Italian bitters and is said to have a long history, dating back to a recipe shared by Chinese sailors arriving on the Ligurian coast in the 1500s.

    It may look a little like Coca Cola, but don’t let the appearance fool you.

    (Photo by Eugene Gologursky /Getty Images via AFP)

    Aranciata/Limonata

    Aranciata is Italy’s version of an orange soda, but not as sugary, and it tastes like oranges. Its base is sparkling water with the addition of orange juice and sugar. There are various brands, but San Pellegrino’s is the most popular. It also sells a ‘bitter’ aranciata amaro, with even less sugar, more citrus tang and herbal notes, which might be more aperitivo-hour appropriate.

    Limonata is, as you might guess, the Italian answer to lemonade. Again there are many versions out there but the fizzy San Pellegrino limonata is beloved for its strong, sweet-sour flavour and there’s nothing more refreshing on a hot summer’s day.

    Cedrata

    Cedrata is one of Italy’s oldest and best-known non-alcoholic drinks. It’s a refreshing, carbonated drink made from a large citrus fruit called a cedro, grown in southern Italy. It’s far less bitter than a Chinotto, but not as sweet as limonata.

    The main producer of Cedrata today is Tassoni, and this is what you’re likely to get if you order it at a bar.

    Gingerino

    This is harder to find than the other aperitivi on the list and is seen as decidedly retro, but it’s worth trying if you can track it down.

    It’s another orange-coloured, sparkling drink which became popular in Italy in the 1970s and is still sold today, though you’re more likely to find it in the north-east, close to Venice, where it’s produced.

    You may be expecting it to taste a lot like ginger beer, and there are similarities, but it has stronger citrus notes and more bitterness.

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