Pumpkins Make Any Dish a Smashing Hit

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Bring a large pot of water to a boil; add salt. Put bacon into a large skillet over medium heat. Cook, stirring, until bacon is almost crisp, about 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer bacon to a plate lined with paper towels; let drain.

Add onion to skillet with bacon grease. Cook, stirring, until soft, 12 to 15 minutes. Add pumpkin, sage, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and the allspice. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes. Add stock and cream; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until pumpkin is soft and sauce has thickened slightly, about 25 minutes. Season with pepper.

Meanwhile, add pasta to boiling water, and cook until al dente. Drain pasta, and add to skillet. Add the bacon and Parmesan, and toss to combine. Divide among bowls. Serve with Parmesan on the side, and garnish with pepitas.

Yield: Makes 4 servings.

Note: For a vegetarian version, try omitting the bacon (cook onions in olive oil instead of grease) and replace chicken stock with vegetable stock. To find local producers of organic and chemical-free meats from humanely raised animals, check out eatwild.com.

Pumpkin Ravioli (from allrecipes.com)

Filling
1 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 cup pumpkin purée
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

Pasta
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup tomato paste
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp olive oil
2 eggs
2 tbsp water

Mix the cheese, pumpkin, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and the nutmeg. Set filling aside.

Mix the flour, with remaining salt in a large bowl; make a well in the center of the flour. Beat the tomato paste, oil and eggs until well blended, and pour into the well in the flour. Stir with a fork, gradually bring the flour mixture to the center of the bowl until the dough makes a ball. If the dough is too dry, mix in up to 2 tablespoons of water.

Knead lightly on a floured, surface, adding flour if dough is sticky, until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Cover, and let rest for another 5 minutes. Divide the dough into 4 equal parts. Roll the dough, one part at a time, into a rectangle about 12-by-10-inches. Keep the rest of the dough covered while working.

Drop 2 level teaspoons of filling onto half of the rectangle, about 1 1/2 inches apart in 2 rows of 4 mounds each. Moisten the edges of the dough, and the dough between the rows of pumpkin mixture with water. Fold the other half of the dough up over the pumpkin mixture, pressing the dough down around the pumpkin. Cut between the rows of filling to make ravioli; press the edges together with a fork, or cut with a pastry wheel. Seal edges well. Repeat with the remaining dough and pumpkin filling. Place ravioli on towel. Let stand, turning once, until dry, about 30 minutes.

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HOW-TO-GROW WORLD CLASS GIANT PUMPKINS (3RD EDITION)'

Don Langevin

Hardcover

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