eat make read

I picked up my first pumpkin of the season at the market last weekend. I was a little unsure of what to do with it until I was inspired by the ladies at Savatore Bklyn who suggested a recipe that included pumpkin, ricotta and pepper flakes. Spicy pumpkin? Sign me up!

I came home and sliced open my little pumpkin and cut in half. I left one half as is and cut the other half into 4 slices. I popped all the slices in to oven and started mixing up the sauce. I combined some butter, maple syrup, cinnamon, pecans and cayenne pepper. I poured half the sauce over the already warmed pumpkins and let them cook awhile. As the pumkin softened, I added the other half of the sauce. The sweet aroma of cinnamon wafted through the apartment, making my stomach ache for dinnertime.

As I pulled them out of the oven, I had to stop and admire them. Sometimes I’m amazed by how lovely food can look without doing anything to it. These little pumkin slices, draped with the spicy pecan sauce would win a pageant. I topped them off with a mixture of ricotta and red pepper flakes to add a cool, creamy texture with a bit pizazz. The final result was incredibly delicious. The pumpkin was best right in the middle where it was super soft and saturated with the cinnamony butter. I love the little spike of spicy that you get by adding the cayenne and red pepper flakes.

This recipe definitely feels like fall. Rich with spices, soft and warm from the oven, these pumpkin slices are great way to mix things up.

pumpkin slices with spicy pecan sauce.
makes 4 slices, plus half a pumpkin for making puree. double the recipe if you use the whole pumpkin.

1 small pumpkin
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 cup pecans, coarsely chopped
2 teaspoons ricotta cheese
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1
Cut open pumpkin, divide in half and de-seed it. Slice one of the halves into quarters, the other half will be left over to make puree or whatever you’d like to do with it.
2
Place the pumpkin on a rimmed baking sheet and pop it in the oven.
3
In a small bowl, combine the butter, cinnamon, cayenne and pecans. Mix until combined.
4
Open the oven and pour half the mixture over the pumpkin slices. Set the timer for 20 minutes.
5
Once the timer goes off, add the remaining mixture and set the timer for another 20 minutes or until the pumpkin slices are soft to the touch.
6
Mix the ricotta and red pepper flakes together. Top each slice with a dollop of the cheese and serve. I think you’ll have rave reviews.

Oh and look for a recipe about what to do with the seeds coming soon!