Recipe: Pumpkin Bolognese

There are only so many times you can drive past Ray’s Produce in Newberg, seeing crates overflowing with inexpensive, multi-colored gourds before you try and figure out how to make a delicious autumnal dish with this abundant crop.

My wife and I would usually go right for the butternut, acorn, or delicata squash for classic autumnal dishes (you’re a quick google search away from some of the most amazing, rich fall meals).

But we thought to try something new. There were buckets and buckets of classic orange pumpkins destined for carving nights and futures spent soggy on the stoop. Could there be a way to take advantage of this abundance and make something different?

After doing some quick research through my cookbook collection, I found just the thing. The very last recipe in Portland chef Joshua McFadden’s seasonal cookbook, Six Seasons: A New Way with Vegetables was a pumpkin bolognese — perfection.

The sauce was a bit more delicate than the traditional tomato-based sauce. There was a hint of that pumpkin sweetness, but mostly the flavors balanced and blended so nicely. Plus, the sauce came out kind of yellow/orange, which felt perfect for the October/November months.

BEFORE YOU MAKE THE RECIPE:

• This took me a bit longer than expected, but I think a lot of that was because I picked the wrong squash (see below). In reality, this is a great rainy weekend recipe as it’ll take roughly 3-4 hours start to finish. You could also make the sauce the night before, pop it in the fridge so the flavors really get to know each other, and then have dinner ready for the next night.
• On that note, this recipe can very easily be doubled! Two pound pumpkins are kind of hard to come by. So see if you can get a five-ish pound, which will land at four pounds after removing the seeds and stem. This freezes well so you can enjoy the sauce all through the winter.
• The flavors are far more subtle than a traditional, tomato-based bolognese. I think the recipe went light on the salt, but that could be just my palette. Remember the cheese adds some saltiness as well at the end. You want the sauce pre-dressed to be balanced but salt should be far in the background.
• PLEASE be careful cutting your pumpkin. There are several methods online on how to soften the pumpkin before slicing so you don’t need to put so much force behind it.

INGREDIENTS FOR PUMPKIN BOLONGESE:

• Roughly 2 pounds pumpkin, unpeeled, cut into wide wedges, seeds scraped out
  • Special note here: really pick a classic orange pumpkin. Don’t make the mistake I did and grab a gorgeous, teal-skinned Kabocha squash or you’ll be roasting your pumpkin for 3x the duration. Long story short, you can do other squash, but prepare of it to take a lot longer.
  • Also, save those seeds and roast them for a delicious snack.
• Extra Virgin olive oil
• Kosher salt, and lots of fresh ground black pepper
  • Fresh ground pepper makes a huge difference in any dish. If you do not have a grinder, grab a plastic one at the grocery store with pepper already loaded in there. Pepper oxidizes very quickly and you’ll notice the immediate difference of fresh ground vs pre ground.
• 1 pound ground beef chuck
  • I used 80/20 and it worked fine. It’s simmering for a while so the moisture isn’t really a problem.
• 1/2 pound ground pork
• 1 cup finely chopped onion
• 1/2 cup finely chopped celery
• 1/2 cup finely chopped carrot
• 1 cups dry, un-oaked white wine
• 1 cup whole milk
• cooked pasta of your choice
• freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese for serving

DIRECTIONS FOR PUMPKIN BOLONGESE:

1. Heat your oven to 400°F. Cut your pumpkin into wedges and scrape out the seeds. Clean and reserve seeds to roast for a snack.
2. Drizzle olive oil over the wedges and sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Arrange on a baking sheet and roast, turning once, for 25 minutes or until a fork passes easily into the flesh. Editor Note: Really make sure it’s cooked! I didn’t and it was a little gritty/grainy.
3. While the pumpkin cooks, chop your vegetables into smaller pieces. Think about little cubes that will infuse their flavor well. Add all the vegetables to a bowl — they’ll add be added to the pot at the same time so don’t worry about them mixing in.
4. After the pumpkin is cooked, let cool slightly and remove the pumpkin from the skin. Puree the cooked pumpkin in a blender or food processor, and then transfer to a saucepan. Cook over medium heat until the puree has lost some of its water and the texture is thick like a tomato paste. It took me about 10-20 minutes.
5. Heat a glug of olive oil in a dutch oven or large skillet over medium heat. Add ground meat and cook until meat is no longer pink but has not developed the brown caramelization. Break up the large chunks as you’re stirring. Remove the meat when fully cooked but reserve any oil or liquid in the pot.
6. Add onion, celery, and carrot to pot and season with salt and a lot of pepper. Your arm will get tired. Then twist a few more times. As the veggies start to sizzle, bring the heat to medium low and cook, stirring often, until the onions are translucent but not browned (roughly 10 minutes).
7. Add the meat back and stir for two or three minutes. Add the wine and stir, scraping up any brown bits that have accumulated at the bottom of the pan. Let wine simmer until there is only a little bit of liquid remaining, about 10 minutes.
8. Fold in the pumpkin puree into the mixture and add your milk. Season with salt and pepper, and turn your burner down to low as it starts to simmer. Cover your pan and let it simmer, stirring occasionally to keep the bottom from burning, for an hour or so. If it starts looking a bit too dry, add in some more wine or water in splashes. You’re looking for that sweet, sweet saucy consistency.
9. Taste as your cook and adjust seasoning as necessary. Remember: the cheese will add some saltiness, so try to refrain from oversalting.
10. About 10 minutes before the sauce is done (or as the sauce is done and you’ve got the heat turned off) cook your pasta according to package directions. When the pasta is “al dente,” reserve about a cup of pasta water and then strain the pasta. Add pasta to a separate skillet over low heat, add in your noodles, add a half-cup of pasta water, and toss to combine.
11. Plate pasta topped with lots of parmesan and some parsley if you’re into that kind of thing.
12. Take a bunch of pictures and tag Newsberg on Instagram or Facebook!

This is my first time publishing a recipe! My goal is to have a seasonal recipe each month where I focus on something that is in seasons, abundant, and inexpensive, presenting a new or classic way to use it. Did you like it? Not like it? Is there a recipe or ingredient you’d like to see next? Send me a message and let me know!