Among the best known we find:
- the Marina di Chioggia , round and flattened at the poles, with a green, ribbed and lumpy skin;
- the Lunga di Napoli , similar to a large cucumber, with a thicker end and green skin variegated with yellow;
- the Japanese Hokkaido , similar to a large, squat pear, covered with a red peel and with dry flesh that tastes like chestnut;
- the French Patisson , white or green, star-shaped and with an artichoke flavour;
- the Tromboncino or d'Albenga , with an elongated shape, normally grown on a pergola, of which the immature, tender and tasty hanging fruits similar to courgettes are harvested in summer.
Then there are enormous pumpkins that can even weigh up to a quintal (among which we find the Mammuth )!
Ornamental, turban-shaped or flask-shaped pumpkins , useful for their seeds once dried and once used as bottles.
Another variety you may have heard of is a large, yellowish oval squash known as vegetable spaghetti squash: boiled whole in water, it is then opened and the pulp, torn into filaments, is served as if it were pasta!
Pumpkins are harvested from late summer onwards and can be stored throughout the winter: for this reason, from late September to December it is easy to find them in large quantities in supermarkets, at the market, and at your trusted greengrocer.
How to cook pumpkin
Pumpkins keep for a long time if kept intact, but once cut they must be eaten quickly because they wither quickly.
They can be kept for a few days in a container in the refrigerator, alternatively they can be cut into pieces and frozen.
Nothing of the pumpkin goes to waste!
The peel (especially the Mantovana variety) can be seasoned with plenty of extra virgin olive oil, adding aromatic herbs and spices to taste, and toasted in a fan oven for about fifteen minutes: you will have ready-made snacks or an original idea for a home-made aperitif.
The seeds can also be used as a snack, perhaps accompanied by some almonds: just wash them well and dry them, season them with extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper and toast them in the oven for a few minutes.
They can then be stored in glass jars for a long time.
Pumpkin can be enjoyed raw in salads or steamed, baked, or fried. It can be made into a soup or a tasty puree (with the addition of nutmeg and crushed amaretti biscuits), or stewed and used as a pasta sauce.
It is often paired with rice, with which it binds very well, and it is also used as a sweet and sour filling for the delicious Mantuan ravioli.
Its infinite uses also make it perfect for sweet recipes: it can be used in cakes (such as American pumpkin pie ) or as a base for the now very famous pumpkin spice latte .
Finally, its peel is candied and flavored with vanilla and chocolate or prepared as a preserve, delicious when paired with particularly flavorful cured meats and cheeses.
Pumpkin and speck pasta with extra virgin olive oil recipe
We offer it to you in a simple, home-made version, perfect for a lunch with friends on a cold winter's day.
Ingredients for 4 people:
- 320g pasta: you can choose whatever you prefer, short or long. Cavatelli are usually used, but strascinati are also excellent.
- 400g of cleaned pumpkin, Delica variety or Mantua pumpkin
- 1/2 onion
- 200 g of speck
- Simone single-variety extra virgin olive oil
Procedure:
- First peel the pumpkin, remove the seeds and internal filaments, wash it and cut it into cubes.
- Finely chop the onion and sauté it in a saucepan with plenty of oil, then add the pumpkin and let it brown.
- Add the speck cut into strips and let it flavour.
- Cook with vegetable broth: you can also use water and two teaspoons of granulated broth
- Be careful with the pumpkin: it must be cooked but not mushy.
- Meanwhile, bring water to a boil to cook the pasta until al dente, which will finish cooking in the pan with the sauce: drain it a few minutes beforehand and let it simmer in the sauce.
- Turn off the heat if necessary, add more raw oil, add pepper or chili pepper if you like and serve.
For other comfort food recipes perfect for winter, we recommend trying pasta and chickpeas dressed with extra virgin olive oil or the warm version of cialledda .
