Pumpkin Pastina

Its been a little while but don’t think I have neglected my girl Pastina, she’s alive and well in my kitchen, in fact I recently realized I have enough boxes of pastina to fill an entire cabinet in my kitchen. Its just one for those things I always grab, just in case, but I guess I’ve done that 10-15 too many times. We always see Pastina in soups or even plain with butter and cheese but whats beautiful about the size and texture is it can be doctored up like a risotto but it only takes a few short minutes. No hovering over the pot for 30 minutes adding liquid little by little until its cooked. In the fall i’m a squash and pumpkin girlie, nothing is more comforting, so this creamy, flavorful bowl of starchy pumpkin goodness is screaming plop yourself on the couch watching Halloweentown with all your girls and ghouls. I top it with Goat cheese for the perfect creamy tang, but feel free to opt out if you’re like my girl Drew Barrymore who can’t bare to put goat cheese near her mouth. I can eat goat cheese by the stick, anyone else?

Ingredients-

1 Tablespoon of EVOO

2 tablespoons butter, plus 1 tablespoon to add in at the end

1 large shallot finely chopped (or 1/4 cup finely chopped onion)

Salt & Black Pepper 

Pinch of Red pepper flakes

1 clove of garlic, finely minced

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/3 cup of white wine

2 cups of chicken stock (or vegetable)

3/4 cup of water

1 cup of Pastina pasta

Squeeze of fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon of sugar

1/2 cup of Pumpkin Puree (Libbys preferred)

2-3 Tablespoons of grated Parmegiano reggiano or Parmesan (plus more for garnish)

3 tablespoons of crumbled goat cheese (plus more for garnish) (optional)

Steps-

Steps-

Heat a medium saucepan on medium low heat and add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and 2 tablespoons of butter.

Once the butter is melted, add your chopped shallot and sweat until soft and flavorful about 2-3 minutes. Then add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook just until fragrant but not brown, about 1 minute. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper. 

Add in the minced garlic and nutmeg and sweat on low heat until fragrant, about 2 minutes.

Pour in the white wine and cook for about 2 minutes to reduce slightly and to burn off some of the alcohol flavor. Add chicken stock and water, season with another pinch of salt and a teaspoon of sugar and let everything come to a boil. 

Once it’s boiling add your pastina and a squeeze of lemon juice and stir slowly and constantly with a wooden spoon until the mixture begins to thicken. After about 2 minutes, whisk in the pumpkin puree. Continue to cook about 3-4 minutes longer or until the pasta is soft and most of the liquid has been absorbed. 

Finally, add 1 tablepooon of cold butter, the Parmegiano Reggiano cheese and goat cheese. Check your seasoning and add more salt and pepper if you prefer. If at any point the pastina gets too thick for your liking, add a few splashes of chicken stock until you reach your desired texture. Then you’re ready to serve!

Ladle it into bowls, top with a little more goat cheese and a drizzle of olive oil! You can even add a little chopped sage over top!