Bringing a Flavour of Sicily to You with an Autumn Recipe!
As I wrote in my August column, autumn is the best time to visit Sicily if you’re looking for ways to stimulate your taste buds. Not only are the temperatures mild, but harvest time arrives in full force, bringing a multitude of flavours.
If you can’t get to Sicily this autumn, the next best thing is to bring Sicily to you! This is one of my favourite autumn dishes, packed with traditional flavours.
Sicilian Autumn Pasta with Pumpkin, Sausage & Pistachios (serves 4)
Ingredients
- 320 g fresh pasta (busiate, casarecce or rigatoni)
- 400 g pumpkin, peeled and diced
- 250 g Sicilian pork sausage
- 1 small onion
- 1 clove garlic
- 50 g Sicilian pistachios, roughly chopped
- 60 ml dry white wine
- 40 g grated Sicilian pecorino
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Fresh rosemary
- Salt & black pepper
Method
1. Roast the Pumpkin
Heat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan. Toss the pumpkin with 2 tbsp olive oil, salt and pepper and roast for 25–30 minutes, turning once, until tender and caramelised around the edges.
2. Cook the Sausage
Heat another tablespoon of oil in a large frying pan. Add the sausage meat and break it up with a wooden spoon. Cook for about 6–8 minutes, until browned. Add the onion and cook for another 4–5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for a minute.
3. Add the Wine
Pour in the white wine and let it bubble for 2–3 minutes, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
4. Cook the Pasta
Meanwhile, cook the pasta in well-salted boiling water until al dente. Reserve about 250ml of the pasta water before draining.
5. Combine Everything
Add most of the roasted pumpkin to the sausage mixture, reserving a few pieces for serving. Add the pasta and a splash of pasta water.
Stir vigorously over a low heat, adding more pasta water as necessary until you have a glossy sauce. Some of the pumpkin should break down and coat the pasta while other pieces remain intact.
6. Finish
Stir in half the pistachios and the Pecorino. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
Serve with the remaining pistachios scattered over the top and a drizzle of olive oil.
Buon appetito!
Questions for You:
Do you skip summer travel in favour of autumn trips? What is your main reason for this? Have you visited a place just for its gastronomic offerings? What foods have made you return to a specific town over and over?
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