Recipe & photography by Izzie Cox.
Serves 4-5
Ingredients
½ small pumpkin, peeled, halved, seeds removed and cut into 2cm pieces
1 shallot, peeled and quartered
4 garlic cloves, bashed
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp gochujang
1 tbsp miso paste
2 tbsp double cream
450g Northern Pasta Co rigatoni
50g pumpkin seeds
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
chilli oil, to serve
Method
Preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan. Add the pumpkin pieces, shallot and garlic cloves to a large baking tray and toss with 1.5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil and plenty of sea salt and black pepper.
Roast in the oven for 30 minutes until the pumpkin is soft and golden.
Meanwhile put a large pan of salted water on to boil. Add the rigatoni and cook for 1 minute less than the pack instructions. Drain, reserving a mugful of the pasta water.
Heat the remaining extra virgin olive oil in a small frying pan on a medium heat. Add the pumpkin seeds and cook until golden and smelling toasty.
Transfer the pumpkin and shallot to a blender, and squeeze in the garlic cloves out of their skin. Add the gochujang, miso and double cream with 100ml of the pasta water and blitz until smooth.
Return the pasta to the pan on a low heat with the pumpkin sauce and mix well. Add pasta water little by little until the pasta and sauce have emulsified.
Transfer to a large serving platter, or individual bowls and top with the toasted pumpkin seeds and a drizzle of chilli oil.
