I grew up in upstate New York using Locatelli Pecorino Romano cheese imported from Italy in all our family recipes. My great-grandmother, grandmother, mom and all my aunts instilled the importance of using this 100% sheep’s milk cheese that we would buy in blocks at the Italian market. It was the gold standard in all our recipes and graced our table nightly.
The nine-month aging process gives the cheese an authentic nutty taste that can’t be duplicated and makes every dish shine, including this delectable new pumpkin sauce I developed.
It’s easy to see how this salty, bold and unforgettable cheese is the vital ingredient in my creamy pumpkin pasta dish. I use the Locatelli cheese two ways as it brings a richness to this pumpkin flavor. First, I blend it into the pasta sauce and then dust it on top as the crowning glory for the table.
This special cheese is the zip and zing that really makes this fall dish sing!
Enjoy this seasonal and delicious pasta dish from my kitchen to yours!
Pasta with Creamy Locatelli Pumpkin Sauce
2
servings10
minutes20
minutesNote: Serves 4 as a main and 6-8 as a first course.
Ingredients
1/4 cup 1/4 pine nuts
8 oz. 8 pasta cooked as you make the sauce
1/3 cup 1/3 pasta water
1 tbsp. 1 each unsalted butter and olive oil
2 2 banana shallots or 1 medium red onion finely chopped
2 tsp. 2 chopped fresh sage leaves plus more for garnishing
2 2 garlic cloves, minced
1-1/2 cups 1-1/2 canned pumpkin puree
1/2 cup 1/2 heavy cream
1/2 cup 1/2 finely grated Locatelli Pecorino Romano plus more for serving
1 tbsp. 1 fresh squeezed orange juice
1/3 cup 1/3 vegetable stock
1/4 tsp. 1/4 grated nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste
2 tbsp. 2 chopped parsley or finely chopped chives for serving
Directions
- Toast the pine nuts in a dry pan for 4-5 minutes and set aside.
- Heat the butter and oil in a large sauté pan and cook the shallots to golden.
- Add a tbsp. of water to scrape up the brown bits.
- Add the garlic and sage for 2 minutes.
- Stir in the cream and just heat through with the onion mixture.
- Puree the pumpkin, onion mix, cheese, juice, stock, nutmeg and salt + pepper in a blender until smooth adding a bit of pasta water.
- Test the sauce for seasoning and add more juice, pasta water or salt and pepper.
- Add the sauce back to the pasta cooking pan and toss in the hot pasta so everything melds.
- Plate the pasta on your platter and top with grated Locatelli, pine nuts and torn sage.
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