Pumpkin Mac & Cheese
Serves 4 plus leftovers depending on appetite (this a great dish to have frozen on hand for reheating on those apocalyptically hungover Sundays stuck in bed)
- 500g maccaroni pasta
- 1 small Hokkaido pumpkin (approx 1kg), peeled and roughly chopped
- 1 medium size onion, roughly chopped
- 4 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
- 450ml warm chicken stock
- olive oil
- butter
- A sprig of thyme and rosemary
- 150g bergkase, grated
- 50g parmesan reggiano, grated
(The above ingredients are getting blended so don’t worry about appearance)
In a large pot, gently sweat the onion with a little olive oil and a good knob of butter. Once translucent and fragrant, add the garlic and pumpkin, stir to combine, turn up the heat and add the stock, placing on top the thyme and rosemary. Bring to the boil then reduce to steady simmer, lid ajar to help speed the cooking time while allowing stem to reduce.
Meanwhile cook the maccaroni in a large pot of salty water till just Al dente. Drain and leave to the side.
Once the pumpkin is cooked and most of the stock reduced, remove the thyme and rosemary, leave to cool for minute then puree with an immersion blender. The desired consistency should be like double cream - if it’s too thick or thin adjust accordingly. Season to taste.
Return the cooked pasta to it’s cooking pot, add the pumpkin puree and grated cheese, then stir well to ensure the cheese has evenly combined.
Add the pasta, cheese and puree mix to a medium size baking dish (24 x 19 x 6cm works perfectly for me), cook in a preheated oven at 180 °C for 20-30mins till the cheese is fragrant and the top is golden.
Serve with a simple green salad.