As World Pasta Day approaches – and as the year draws to a close – Europe is gearing up to celebrate not only its culinary heritage, but also the biological wealth that underpins the indigenous varieties of cereals and grains used to make pasta. For example, Italian tagliatelle is traditionally made from ancient wheats that have grown since time immemorial in the Italian peninsula and on the island of Sicily, just as our farmer Nicola does. Similarly, French crozets, German spaetzle and other German pastas like those made by our producer Ulrike are also made from local varieties of cereal, the result of centuries of adaptation to the specific climate and soil of their region.

Preserving these local varieties is necessary not only to maintain biological diversity, but also to protect the resistance and resilience of our farming systems to disease, pests and climate change. What’s more, each variety has a unique taste profile, which is reflected in the rich gastronomy of our producers’ pasta.

In this festive context, we are also preparing for Halloween, another holiday which, although largely associated with the United States, has deep roots on the European continent. Countries like Germany proudly display their pumpkins in colourful fairs, while in Italy pumpkins adorn pasta dishes and risottos, merging two celebrations into one. To commemorate these two events, our pumpkin producers Sönke and Pierre have teamed up with our pasta producers to create a recipe that combines traditional Italian pasta with the creaminess of pumpkin, enhanced by the umami touch of soy sauce and the sweet contrast of honey.

Ingredients (serves 4):

• 1/2 organic butternut squash (700g) 
• 2 onions 
• 2 tbsp mascarpone
• 50g Parmesan cheese 
• 300g spaghetti 
• 2 tbsp honey 
• 1 tbsp soy sauce 
• A few sprigs of parsley
• olive oil 
  
  

Steps:

1. Wash the squash thoroughly (we’ll be using the skin in this recipe, as the squash is organic), then cut into large cubes. If you are using half of the squash with seeds, wash them out with clean water and set aside (see recipe tip). 
2. Peel and finely chop the onions. 
3. Grate the Parmesan and set aside. 
4. In a stewpot (or pressure cooker) over high heat, add a generous drizzle of olive oil. Add one of the chopped onions and the squash cubes. Fry for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add water to the level of the vegetables, season with salt and pepper and cover. If you’re using a Dutch oven, cook for 20 minutes (or 10 minutes in a pressure cooker) until the squash is tender.
5. While the squash is cooking, add a generous drizzle of olive oil to a frying pan over medium heat. Add the remaining onion and fry for 5 minutes. Add the soy sauce and honey and fry for a further 5 minutes, until the onion is caramelised. Set aside. 
6. Once the squash is cooked, remove two ladles of the stock from the pan and set aside. 
7. Add the mascarpone and 2/3 of the Parmesan to the stockpot. Blend until you obtain the texture of a creamy sauce. If the sauce is too thick, you can add a little stock. 
8. Cook the pasta as indicated on the packet. 
9. Arrange the butternut cream sauce, a portion of pasta, grated Parmesan, a little caramelised onion and a few parsley leaves on the plates. 
   
   

Tip: don’t throw away the pumpkin seeds, they’re perfect for an aperitif. To do this, preheat your oven to 160°C. In a bowl, add the pumpkin seeds, a drizzle of olive oil and the spices of your choice. Place in the oven for around ten minutes, then enjoy!