Fall Perfection: Pasta, Pumpkin and Pears

Succulent summer tomatoes are a distant memory, but luckily wonderful pasta sauce can be made with fall's beautiful bounty of pears and pumpkins.My passion for pasta with fruit began while researching my first cookbook "Shakespeare's Kitchen," during which I discovered the many sweet-savory pasta dishes of the Renaissance. Now, I'm always on the lookout for fruit and pasta pairings when in Italy and constantly pester my Italian friends to send me recipes. In Italy you'll find pasta paired with all sorts of fruit, both dried and fresh -- prunes, dates, oranges and lemons -- each adding lovely color, brilliant acidity and delicate sweetness to the sauces.Pears and pastaI'm especially partial to pears as they stand up nicely when cooked and add a savory sweet fresh flavor. Grating fresh pear onto pasta tossed with simple jar tomato sauce makes it taste delicately sweet. Adding diced pear to a simple mac 'n' cheese adds crunch and a surprisingly almost wine note to a simple dish.Pear is a popular ravioli filling as it pairs so wonderfully with cheese. A classic pear ravioli from the Lombardy region is casconcelli, a decadently delicious, very unusual ravioli, made with an odd but oh-so-tasty assortment of ingredients: sausage, roast beef, raisins, crushed almond cookies and pears. Making ravioli can be a little daunting, so I was thrilled to discover that in Italy they often use the ravioli filling as condiment for dried pasta! Called ravioli aperto, or "open ravioli," it uses ravioli filling as a sauce, as was popularized by the famous Italian chef Gualtiero Marchesi, who first introduced it back in the '80s. Nowadays, many Italians, pressed for time, forgo ravioli-making and turn the filling into a free-form sauce for pasta. The flavors are the same and it saves time."Open" Pear Ravioli (Casoncelli alla Bergamasca "Aperto")Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
Total time: 25 minutes
Yield: 4 servingsFrom "Pasta Modern: New & Inspired Recipes from Italy" by Francine Segan (Stewart, Tabori & Chang)The pear filling for casoncelli, ravioli from the Bergamo section of Lombardy, makes an exceptionally tasty, very unusual sauce for any shape of dried pasta.Ingredients -3 tablespoons butter
2 ounces pancetta or bacon, diced
1 sweet sausage
¼ pound roast beef, thinly sliced then cut into strips
1 garlic clove, minced
3 to 4 small fresh sage leaves
1 large pear, thinly sliced with peel left on
2 tablespoons golden raisins
1 cup chicken broth
1 pound calamarata or any shape pasta
Zest of ½ lemon
Grana padano or other aged cheese
Ground cinnamon
Nutmeg
½ bunch fresh parsley
Salt and pepper
2 to 3 amaretti cookies, crushed, optionalDirections -1. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium high heat.2. Add the pancetta and cook until crisp, about 5 minutes.3. Remove the meat from the sausage casing and crumble into the pan; cook until browned.4. Add the roast beef, garlic, whole sage leaves, pear, raisins and broth.5. Cook the mixture until the pears are soft, about 5 minutes.6. Meantime, cook the pasta in boiling, salted water until almost al dente.7. Drain and toss into the sauce. Stir well and cook, adding cooking liquid, if needed, until al dente.8. Stir in the zest, ⅓ cup of grated cheese, cinnamon, freshly grated nutmeg and minced parsley to taste, until well amalgamated. Season with salt and pepper and serve topped with more shaved or grated cheese and a sprinkling of amaretti crumbs, if using.Pumpkins and pastaIn Italy all sorts of pumpkins and fall squash are incorporated into pasta sauces, lasagna, ravioli and gnocchi. You can add diced roasted pumpkin to meat sauce or layer it into lasagna for a savory touch of fall. You can top virtually any pasta dish with thin slices of fried pumpkin for a pop of texture and sweetness.Pumpkin is especially delicious added to one of Italy's most iconic pasta dishes: carbonara -- hot pasta tossed with raw egg to create its own creamy sauce, punctuated by crisp bits of pancetta and a shower of grated cheese.It would be difficult to improve on that magical combination of simple ingredients, but by substituting caramelized onions and pumpkin in place of the pancetta, it not only turns it into a vegetarian delight, but creates an even more creamy sauce.Pumpkin Pasta CarbonaraPrep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Yield: Serves 4From "Pasta Modern: New & Inspired Recipes from Italy" by Francine Segan (Stewart, Tabori & Chang)Ingredients -1 large onion, thinly sliced
Olive oil
2 cups diced pumpkin or kabocha squash, seeds and skin removed
Salt and pepper
1 pound pasta, any shape
2 eggs
Pecorino or other aged cheeseDirections -1. In a large frying pan over medium heat, cook the onion in 2 tablespoons of oil until the onion is very soft, about 8 minutes, then raise the heat to high and continue cooking until golden and caramelized, about 4 more minutes. Remove the onions from the pan and set aside.2. In the same pan, adding another tablespoon or 2 of oil, fry the squash until tender and golden at the edges, about 8 minutes. Return the onions to the pan, season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, and keep warm.3. In a large serving bowl, beat the eggs with 2 heaping tablespoons of grated pecorino cheese.4. Cook the pasta in boiling, salted water until al dente. Drain and toss in the egg mixture, stirring until creamy, then stir in the hot onion-squash mixture. Serve topped with grated or shaved cheese.