Week 23: Recipe #2--Penne with Creamy Pumpkin Sauce

This is a recipe from Martha Stewart (see link below), and it is YUMMY.  I especially love the crunchy fried rosemary; it adds nice texture to the pasta.  This is pretty simple to make, considering Martha Stewart recipes can sometimes be overwhelming and time-consuming.  I serve this with a green salad.  Makes 4 servings.

Photo from marthastewart.com

You'll Need:

• 12 oz. penne pasta, or other short pasta
• coarse salt
• 2 Tblsp. olive oil
• 1 Tblsp. fresh rosemary
• 1 can (15 oz.) pure pumpkin puree
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/2 c. half-and-half
• 1/3 c. grated parmesan
• 1 Tblsp. white wine vinegar
• 1/4 tsp. red-pepper flakes, plus more for garnish or to taste

Preparation:

1. Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente.  Reserve 2 cups pasta water; drain pasta and set aside.
2. In pasta pot, heat oil over medium.  Add rosemary to fry, stirring until starting to brown, 1 to 2 minutes.  Using a slotted spoon, transfer rosemary to a paper towel, leaving oil in pot.
3. Carefully (oil is hot and will spatter) add pumpkin puree, garlic, half-and-half, parmesan, vinegar, red-pepper flakes, and 1 cup reserved pasta water to pot.  Stir sauce until heated through, 2 to 3 minutes.
4. Add pasta to sauce, and toss to coat.  If sauce is too thick, add some reserved pasta water.  Season generously with salt.  Serve pasta sprinkled with fried rosemary and, if desired, more red-pepper flakes.

Recipe and link:  http://www.marthastewart.com/314671/penne-with-creamy-pumpkin-sauce