Ingredients:

- 300 gr pasta ( I like the fresh scialatielli pasta but you can choose any short pasta of your choice)
- 500 gr pumpkin (weighed with seeds and skin)
- 1/2 garlic clove
- 500 ml of water or vegetable stock
- 4 tbsps extra-virgin olive oil
- A handful of chopped parsley
- A pinch of shredded chili pepper (optional)
- Salt and pepper to taste and parsley or basil

Directions:

First you need to clean the pumpkin: slice it open, and with a spoon scrape away all the seeds. Then, with a large knife, remove the skin.  Once the pumpkin is clean, cut it in small cubes. In a  large pan, add the extra-virgin olive oil, the  garlic, and the chili pepper if you want to add it. Turn on the heat very low, and let cook for a few minutes, taking care that the garlic doesn’t burn. Add the pumpkin, and saute for a few minutes then add some water, allow to boil, add the salt, then cover the pan and lower the heat. Leave to cook for 10-15 minutes stirring it in order to check if there is enough water or if you need to add some. Don’t be tempted to add too much water, just add some water if it=s been completely absorbed. 

Once it is cooked, put the pumpkin into a mixer in order to create a cream/sauce, then add the parsley.

In a large pan boil the water in order to cook the pasta. Save some pasta water and add it to the pumpkin sauce you prepared.

Once the pasta is cooked, remove it from the heat, add it to the pumpkin sauce, stir in the chopped parsley and serve with grated Parmesan or Pecorino.

Buon appetito, amici!!!