ONLINE EXTRA -- PUMPKINS AND PASTA: Pasta With Savory Pumpkin Sauce . . . Pasta with Pumpkin and Sausage . . . Creamy Pumpkin Pasta, etc.

Pasta With Savory Pumpkin Sauce

1 pound pasta

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 medium onions, chopped

2 large orange bell peppers, chopped

4 minced garlic cloves

1 cup zucchini slices, cut into halves

1 2/3 cup pumpkin puree

3 cups chicken broth

¼ cup heavy cream

¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

½ teaspoon salt

1½ cups coarsely chopped walnuts

6 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Cook pasta according to package directions; drain. Melt butter and olive oil in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Add onion and saute for 5 minutes. Add peppers and continue to cook until onion is soft and translucent. Add garlic and cook for 2 minutes more. Add zucchini; cook 1 minute. Stir in pumpkin, chicken broth, cream, nutmeg, Worcestershire sauce and salt. Heat thoroughly. In large bowl, toss hot pasta with pumpkin sauce and walnuts. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese.

Yield: Serves 8 to 10.

Pasta with Pumpkin and Sausage

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus 1 tablespoon

1 pound bulk sweet Italian sausage

4 cloves garlic, cracked and chopped

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1 bay leaf, fresh or dried

4 to 6 sprigs sage leaves, cut into chiffonade, about 2 tablespoons

1 cup dry white wine

1 cup chicken stock, canned or paper container

1 cup canned pumpkin

½ cup (3 turns around the pan) heavy cream

1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground nutmeg, ground or freshly grated

Coarse salt and black pepper

1 pound penne rigate, cooked to al dente

Romano or Parmigiano, for grating

Pumpernickel or whole grain bread, as an accompaniment

Heat a large, deep nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the pan and brown the sausage in it. Transfer sausage to paper towel lined plate. Drain fat from skillet and return pan to the stove. Add the remaining tablespoon oil, and then the garlic and onion. Saute 3 to 5 minutes until the onions are tender.

Add bay leaf, sage, and wine to the pan. Reduce wine by half, about 2 minutes. Add stock and pumpkin and stir to combine, stirring sauce until it comes to a bubble. Return sausage to pan, reduce heat, and stir in cream. Season the sauce with the cinnamon and nutmeg, and salt and pepper, to taste. Simmer mixture 5 to 10 minutes to thicken sauce.

Return drained pasta to the pot you cooked it in. Remove the bay leaf from sauce and pour the sausage pumpkin sauce over pasta. Combine sauce and pasta and toss over low heat for 1 minute. Garnish the pasta with lots of shaved cheese and sage leaves.

Serve pumpkin sausage pasta with pumpernickel or whole grain bread

Creamy Pumpkin Pasta

1 small onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 tablespoons butter

2 cups pumpkin puree

2 cups chicken broth, made from bouillon

¼ cup heavy cream

½ cup sour cream

¼ teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon white pepper

2 tablespoons fresh parsley, minced

¼ cup romano cheese, shredded

1 pound penne or rotini pasta

In a large skillet, saute the onion and garlic in butter, over medium heat, until soft, not brown.

Whisk in the pumpkin, broth, creams and seasonings to taste.

Simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, boil the pasta in salted water until al dente.

Drain pasta and stir into pumpkin, simmering 2 to 3 minutes more until thick.

Stir in parsley and garnish with romano, more parsley and pumpkin seeds if desired.

Yield: Serves 4 to 6.

Penne with Pumpkin Sauce

1 onion; chopped fine

1 red bell pepper; chopped

2 large garlic cloves; minced

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

½ cup canned solid-pack pumpkin

1 cup chicken broth

½ cup water

2 tablespoons heavy cream

Freshly grated nutmeg to

½ pound penne or other tubular pasta

3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves

Freshly grated Parmesan as accompaniment

In a large skillet cook the onion, the bell pepper and the garlic in the butter over moderate heat, stirring, until the vegetables are softened. Stir in the pumpkin, the broth, the water, the cream, the nutmeg and salt and pepper to taste, and simmer the sauce, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes.

While the sauce is simmering, in a kettle of salted boiling water boil the penne until it is al dente. Ladle out the reserve (about 1 cup of the cooking water) and drain the penne well. Add the penne to the sauce, cook the mixture over moderate heat, stirring and thinning the sauce as desired with some of the reserved cooking water, for 1 to 2 minutes, or until the pasta is coated well. Snd stir in the parsley. Divide the pasta between 2 plates and serve it with the Parmesan.

Yield: Serves 2.

Pumpkin Ravioli

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 egg beaters

1 tablespoon water

1 tablespoon oil

4 tablespoons pumpkin, canned

3 pounds spinach,; finely chopped

1¼ cups fat-free ricotta cheese or ½ cup fat-free Parmesan cheese

¼ teaspoon nutmeg

Salt and pepper; to taste

Place flour, eggs, water, oil and pumpkin in food processor bowl and pulse until mixture forms a ball. Remove from bowl and knead until smooth. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest 30 minutes. Saute spinach over med heat until wilted. Drain and cool. In a bowl, combine ricotta, Parmesan, nutmeg, salt and pepper; stir in spinach. Set aside. Roll out pasta dough and fill according to the instructions for a hand-crank pasta machine, using the ravioli attachment. Lay ravioli on floured surface or pasta rack to dry. Use immediately or freeze up to 2 months.

To cook, boil in lightly salted water for about 3 minutes or until tender.

Approximate nutritional analysis per serving: 317 calories, 3.3 grams fat (0.4 grams saturated), 49 grams carbohydrates, 4.5 grams fiber, 25 grams protein, 22 milligram sodium.

Angry Pumpkin Pasta

1 small fresh pumpkin

3 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

½ teaspoon sea salt

6 thin slices Prosciutto di Parma

3 cups marinara sauce (or 1 jar marinara sauce)

1 pound rigatoni pasta, cooked al dente

Reggiano-Parmigiano cheese

Cut the pumpkin in half and scoop out the seeds and strings. Cut the pumpkin into wedges. Cut the peel off the pumpkin wedges. Cut the pumpkin into 1-by-1-inch pieces. Set aside 2 cups of pumpkin pieces.

Melt the butter in a large frying pan over medium heat.

Add the pumpkin to the frying pan and cook over medium-high heat until the pumpkin is golden on all sides. The pumpkin is done when it can be easily pierced with a knife.

Lower the heat to low. Drizzle the olive oil over the pumpkin. Sprinkle the red pepper flakes and salt over the pumpkin and stir well.

Pour the marinara sauce over the pumpkin and stir well. Raise the heat to medium-low and allow to heat through, do not allow it to boil.

Cut the Prosciutto di Parma into ¼ inch strips. Add the Prosciutto di Parma to the pasta sauce and stir well.

Place the pasta in a serving bowl.

Add the pumpkin and marinara sauce to the pasta and stir well.

Serve immediately with freshly grated Reggiano-Parmigiano cheese.

Penne Wise Pumpkin Pasta

Salt

1 pound whole-wheat penne pasta

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

3 shallots, finely chopped

3 to 4 garlic cloves, grated

2 cups chicken stock

1 15-ounce can pumpkin puree

½ cup cream

1 teaspoon hot sauce, or to taste

Freshly grated or ground nutmeg

2 pinches of ground cinnamon

Freshly ground black pepper

7 to 8 fresh sage leaves, thinly sliced

Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat for the pasta. Add salt and the pasta and cook al dente, reserving ½ cup of the starchy pasta water.

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil, twice around the pan, over medium heat. Add the shallots and garlic to the pan and saute for 3 minutes. Stir in the chicken stock, pumpkin and cream then season the sauce with the hot sauce, nutmeg, cinnamon, salt and pepper. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 5 to 6 minutes longer to thicken. Add a little of the reserved pasta water if needed to thin out the sauce a bit. Stir in the sage then toss in the drained pasta and grated cheese.

Yield: Serves 6.