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Penne with baked pumpkin and rosemary

There are two ways to serve this: with a smooth or a chunky sauce. It depends both on your taste and on the firmness of the pumpkin flesh. If you can get them, baby bear and small sugar pumpkins have firm orange flesh and a sweetness that will caramelize well on cooking.

SERVES 4-6 AS A STARTER OR LIGHT LUNCH

500g wedge of cooking pumpkin, skin on

olive oil, to drizzle

4 garlic cloves, halved with skin on

leaves from a few sprigs of rosemary

few sprigs of thyme

400g dried penne

30g freshly grated parmesan, plus shavings to serve

Heat the oven to 200°C/Gas 6. Cut the pumpkin into thin wedges. Spread a little olive oil over the base of a roasting tray and sprinkle over a little salt and pepper. Arrange the pumpkin in a single layer and drizzle generously with more olive oil. Scatter over the garlic, herbs and a little more seasoning. Bake for 20-25 minutes until the pumpkin is soft. Remove from the oven and leave to cool for a few minutes. Meanwhile, bring a pot of salted water to the boil.

Reserving the oil in the roasting tray (discard the herbs and garlic pulp; they have done their job), remove the skin from the pumpkin and cut the flesh into small bite-size chunks. If making a smooth sauce, put the pumpkin along with the reserved oil into a food processor and blend to a smooth purée. Transfer to a small saucepan. Bring to the boil and let it bubble until reduced to a consistency that will coat the pasta well.

Cook the penne according to packet instructions until al dente. Drain into a colander and return to the hot pan. Add the pumpkin purée and grated parmesan and toss well. If you’ve decided to leave the pumpkins in chunks, simply toss them and the reserved oil with the pasta and parmesan. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Divide among individual plates and sprinkle each plate with a small handful of parmesan shavings to serve.