Its just about Autumn, a few more days and it will be official! I think I can feel justified in breaking out the Pumpkin recipes now! Don't you? Its the pumpkin time of year.
You might think that this is an odd type of a pasta sauce, but pumpkin is one of those flavors that goes beautifully in sauces like this one and with pasta. It also makes beautiful savory soups, etc. Its not just for pies, muffins and breads!
And the good news is that this recipe uses very simple ingredients. Store cupboard ingredients. There is no need to go out and hunt down a pumpkin, cook and puree it. You can use tinned pureed pumpkin which works very well.
You could use any pureed winter squash for that matter. All have a beautiful flavor and consistency that works very well in a sauce such as this one.
If you are worried about using up the remainder of the tinned pumpkin there are plenty of ways to use it up if you don't want to freeze it. Here are a few:
Let the pumpkin fest begin!!
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE PUMPKIN PASTA SAUCE
Just a few store-cupboard ingredients. If you have a well-stocked larder you are never very far from having this delicious sauce to serve with hot pasta.
- 1 TBS butter
- 1/2 (15-ounce/420g) tin of crushed or diced tomatoes
- 1 cup (8 ounces/227g) tinned pumpkin purée
- 1/2 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp dried parsley
- 1/8 tsp dried rosemary
- 1/8 tsp dried sage
- 1/8 tsp garlic powder
- freshly ground black pepper
- 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
- 3 TBS heavy cream
- Cooked pasta, for serving
- Parmesan cheese for serving
I use salted butter. It is the only kind of butter I keep in my kitchen. I don't really feel that it is all that necessary to keep both salted and unsalted. It is always very easy to cut back on the salt in any recipe to make up for it.
You can easily freeze the leftover bits of the tinned pumpkin and tomatoes in air tight freezer containers, ready to use in other recipes. That is what I do.
Heavy cream is the same as whipping cream.
You will want to serve this sauce on a pasta that will cup and hold the sauce. Anything with a shape similar to what I have used here today will work beautifully.
HOW TO MAKE PUMPKIN PASTA SAUCE
You will be surprised at just how easy this is and how quickly it comes together. Its worth it to have a well stocked larder if sauces like this are the result!
Place the butter into a small bowl and nuke for 15 to 20 seconds in the microwave until melted.
Place the tomatoes and their juices, the pumpkin purée, sugar, apple cider vinegar, salt, onion powder, dried parsley, rosemary, sage, garlic powder, black pepper, and cayenne pepper into a blender and blend together until smooth.
Transfer this mixture to a heavy bottomed saucepan. Cook over medium low heat until heated through and the flavors have begun to meld together. This will take about 10 minutes or so. Stir occasionally.
Taste and adjust seasoning as required. Whisk in the cream and heat through.
While your sauce is cooking, cook your pasta according to the package directions until al dente. Drain, reserving a bit of the pasta cooking water.
If your sauce is too thick, you can thin it with a bit of the pasta water.
Ladle the hot sauce over the cooked pasta and sprinkle with some Parmesan cheese if desired.
This sauce will keep very well in the refrigerator for up to three days. Store in a tightly covered container. You can also freeze it for up to six months.
Divide any leftovers into freezer containers, seal tightly, label and freeze.
This sauce is also very delicious when used to make a tasty Vegetarian lasagna. Simply layer it in a baking dish with a filling of ricotta, egg, and parmesan cheese, as well as some grated mozzarella and taleggio cheeses. You can also add a layer of a tasty bechamel to the top and in the middle. Delicious!
I was really pleased with how delicious this simple sauce was. I had my doubts but I just threw them to the wind and went with the flow, with excellent results.
Simple ingredients put together in the most delicious way. Don't let the simplicity of this sauce put you off or make you think that its too simple to be delicious. Its fabulous!
I love pasta and could eat it and be very happy with it all on it's own, but a delicious sauce makes it all the better. Here are a couple of my favorites!
BUTTER ROASTED TOMATO SAUCE - This is one of my favorite pasta sauces. It is amazing what you can come up with using so few ingredients. It is rich and delicious and very simple to make. Its quite fabulous!
BOLOGNESE SAUCE - Again, this is a really good sauce. It is the result of years of experimentation and trial, honing what was the best part of this sauce and the best part of that, and combining the best parts to make one very delicious Bolognese sauce! Great as is spooned over pasta or used in a pasta bake.
Yield: 4 servings
Pumpkin Pasta Sauce Recipe
Cook time: 20 MinTotal time: 20 Min
A rich, thick, creamy and delicious pasta sauce made from ingredients you probably have in your larder right now!
Ingredients
- 1 TBS butter
- 1/2 (15-ounce/420g) tin of crushed or diced tomatoes
- 1 cup (8 ounces/227g) tinned pumpkin purée
- 1/2 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp dried parsley
- 1/8 tsp dried rosemary
- 1/8 tsp dried sage
- 1/8 tsp garlic powder
- freshly ground black pepper
- 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
- 3 TBS heavy cream
- Cooked pasta, for serving
- Parmesan cheese for serving
Instructions
- Place the butter into a small bowl and nuke for 15 to 20 seconds in the microwave until melted.
- Place the tomatoes and their juices, the pumpkin purée, sugar, apple cider vinegar, salt, onion powder, dried parsley, rosemary, sage, garlic powder, black pepper, and cayenne pepper into a blender and blend together until smooth.
- Transfer this mixture to a heavy bottomed saucepan. Cook over medium low heat until heated through and the flavors have begun to meld together. This will take about 10 minutes or so. Stir occasionally.
- Taste and adjust seasoning as required. Whisk in the cream and heat through.
- While your sauce is cooking, cook your pasta according to the package directions until al dente. Drain, reserving a bit of the pasta cooking water.
- If your sauce is too thick, you can thin it with a bit of the pasta water.
- Ladle the hot sauce over the cooked pasta and sprinkle with some Parmesan cheese if desired.
Notes
The sauce may be kept in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to three days.
This sauce may also be frozen successfully, in an airtight container for up to six months.
This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at: mariealicejoan at aol dot com
Thanks so much for visiting! Do come again!
If you like what you see here, why not consider signing up for my newsletter and/or subscribing/following me on Grow. You can also bookmark my recipes via the Grow platform. Check out the heart on the right hand side of the screen.
Also, if you have not checked out my YouTube Channel yet, do give it a gander. I would really appreciate it, and if you want to subscribe that would be even more appreciated! Thank you so much! It is not really fancy like some people's channels. I am very much learning as I go along, but what you get is authentic at least! There is nothing fake there! No filters, bells or whistles. Filmed in real time and unedited!
Is there ever such a thing as too many Gingerbread recipes? I think not! At least not from my perspective. Gingerbread is one of my favorite things to bake and to eat. It smells so lovely when it is baking. I could just bottle it and use it for perfume.
I saw this brilliant looking recipe on a page called Cloudy Kitchen the other day for a Classic Gingerbread Loaf Cake. It looked really good. I immediately bookmarked it to make. Today was the day, and I have to say, in all honesty, this is one of the best gingerbreads I have ever made!
It is moist and deliciously dense with a beautiful flavor that is really pleasant. Most enjoyable. It did look like it was sunk a bit in the middle, but I promise you that it is not. It is perfectly cooked through.
It cuts beautifully and has a beautiful texture. Its lovely served simply sliced and spread with softened butter. Its lovely even without the butter, I promise you. This is one gingerbread that you are really going to enjoy!!
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE CLASSIC GINGERBREAD LOAF CAKE
Some pretty standard baking cupboard ingredients. There is nothing complicated here. The list looks long but most of it is those beautiful warm baking spices.
- 1/2 cup (150g) molasses (can use equal amounts of light and dark treacle mixed to substitute for the molasses)
- 1/2 cup (115g) butter
- 125ml (1/2 cup) whole milk
- 1 1/4 cup (150g) all purpose, plain flour
- 1/2 cup less 1 TBS (90g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 TBS ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp mixed spice (or pumpkin spice) (see notes to make your own)
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp ground cardamom
- 1 large free range egg
She used dark treacle in the original recipe, but I chose to use molasses. I find dark treacle to be very strong and am not fond of the flavor. It is just not something I like in large quantities. A tablespoon here and there, but that's all.
I used salted butter and did not find the loaf to be overly salty. It was just right. The combination of spices was excellent. Do try to use them all if you can. I do give you a recipe for how to make your own mixed spice in the notes of the printable recipe. Its very easy to make and you will find it useful for a lot of things. I do use it a lot in baking.
Other than that, everything is pretty self explanatory and not out of the ordinary!
HOW TO MAKE CLASSIC GINGERBREAD LOAF CAKE
This is a relatively simple make. The wet ingredients are stirred into the dry until smooth and then it is poured into a prepared tin and baked to moist delicious perfection. The smell when it is baking is phenomenal!
Preheat the oven to 325*F/160*C. Butter a 9 inch by 5 inch loaf tin really well and line with baking paper, leaving a bit of an overhang for lifting out. Place onto a baking tray for ease of putting into and removing from the oven.
Place the molasses and butter into a saucepan and gently heat together, without allowing it to boil, until the butter has melted. Remove from the heat and whisk in the cold milk.
Sift the flour into a bowl along with the spices, salt, baking soda and baking powder. Whisk in the sugar.
Once the molasses mixture is no longer hot (shouldn't take long because of the milk) whisk in the egg, whisking well together to combine.
Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the wet. Whisk well together to combine until the mixture is smooth, lump free and has no dry streaks. Pour into the prepared loaf tin.
Bake in the pre-heated oven for 60 minutes until well risen and a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. It should also have shrunk a bit from the sides of the pan.
Leave to cool completely in the tin before lifting out. Cut into thick slices to serve with or without softened butter to spread over it. Delicious!
Notes
Make Your Own Mixed Spice:
You can easily make your own mixed spice: Combine 1 TBS ground cinnamon, 1 tsp each of ground coriander and nutmeg, 1/2 tsp of ground ginger, 1/4 tsp each of ground cloves and allspice. Mix well and store in an airtight container out of the light for up to 6 months.
I always have a jar of this mixture in the cupboard as I use it a lot in my baking recipes. Its a lovely combination of flavors.
This is one incredibly delicious Gingerbread loaf cake. It has a beautiful dense and moist texture and is filled with lovely flavors. I loved this magic combination of spices. Prepare to fall in love.
It is so good that I found myself going back for just . . . one . . . more . . . slice, even without the butter. You have been warned.
Gingerbread cakes are my absolute favorite. I am from the school of thought that you just cannot have too many recipes for gingerbread! Here are a few more of my favorite recipes!
SQUIDGY GINGERBREAD - Simply cut into squares, this is fabulous, but split and filled with lemon curd, there is no doubt about it. This truly IS the royalty of Gingerbreads. Magnificently moist and squidgy, with a beautiful ginger flavor and just a hint of mixed spice
DEEP, DARK AND DELICIOUS GINGERBREAD - This is the kind of gingerbread cake that you could imagine the Little Women sitting down to enjoy on cold winter's evening while the fire burns low in the grate, whilst their mother reads to them the latest missive from their pa. It is moist and dark and full of flavor. This old favorite from my Big Blue Binder is a gingerbread cake that improves and becomes even more delicious with each day that it stands, just like magic.
Yield: One 9 by 5 inch loaf cake
Classic Gingerbread Loaf Cake
Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 1 HourTotal time: 1 H & 15 M
Dense, moist, dark and delicious with plenty of zip! This is fabulously easy to make and eat! Destined to become a favorite!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (150g) molasses (can use equal amounts of light and dark treacle mixed to substitute for the molasses)
- 1/2 cup (115g) butter
- 125ml (1/2 cup) whole milk
- 1 1/4 cup (150g) all purpose, plain flour
- 1/2 cup less 1 TBS (90g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 TBS ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp mixed spice (or pumpkin spice) (see notes to make your own)
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp ground cardamom
- 1 large free range egg
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325*f/160*C. Butter a 9 inch by 5 inch loaf tin really well and line with baking paper, leaving a bit of an overhang for lifting out. Place onto a baking tray for ease of putting into and removing from the oven.
- Place the molasses and butter into a saucepan and gently heat together, without allowing it to boil, until the butter has melted. Remove from the heat and whisk in the cold milk.
- Sift the flour into a bowl along with the spices, salt, baking soda and baking powder. Whisk in the sugar.
- Once the molasses mixture is no longer hot (shouldn't take long because of the milk) whisk in the egg, whisking well together to combine.
- Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the wet. Whisk well together to combine until the mixture is smooth, lump free and has no dry streaks. Pour into the prepared loaf tin.
- Bake in the pre-heated oven for 60 minutes until well risen and a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. It should also have shrunk a bit from the sides of the pan.
- Leave to cool completely in the tin before lifting out. Cut into thick slices to serve with or without softened butter to spread over it. Delicious!
Notes
Make Your Own Mixed Spice:
You can easily make your own mixed spice: Combine 1 TBS ground cinnamon, 1 tsp each of ground coriander and nutmeg, 1/2 tsp of ground ginger, 1/4 tsp each of ground cloves and all spice. Mix well and store in an airtight container out of the light for up to 6 months.
This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at: mariealicejoan at aol dot com
Thanks so much for visiting! Do come again!
If you like what you see here, why not consider signing up for my newsletter and/or subscribing/following me on Grow. You can also bookmark my recipes via the Grow platform. Check out the heart on the right hand side of the screen.
Also, if you have not checked out my YouTube Channel yet, do give it a gander. I would really appreciate it, and if you want to subscribe that would be even more appreciated! Thank you so much! It is not really fancy like some people's channels. I am very much learning as I go along, but what you get is authentic at least! There is nothing fake there! No filters, bells or whistles. Filmed in real time and unedited!
I was really craving Quiche for dinner the other day. There was a recipe in the Smitten Kitchen Keepers cookbook for quiche that I wanted to try out, which was for a deep dish quiche.
I did not want to make a deep dish quiche however, no matter how delicious it looked and so I took the liberty of cutting the recipe in half and making just one normal sized quiche. The original recipe served 12 people. My version serves only six.
I also took the liberty of adding ham to the quiche to make it even heartier. This was by means of a ham steak which I cut into cubes, and it worked beautifully as a combination with the broccoli and the cheddar cheese.
I loved that this was a filling that ended up being more about the ham, broccoli and cheese than it did about the egg. Oh, the egg is there, but it's main purpose is to hold everything else together.
I made a half recipe of my butter/lard pastry for the shell, which I prepared because in my opinion there is nothing worse than a soggy bottom or a bottom crust that is not baked through and crisp. One thing which is a real winning idea for this recipe is that the bottom of the crust is spread with Dijon mustard before you add anything else to it.
This adds a surprisingly delicious flavor note to the mix that was quite, quite tasty!
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE BROCCOLI, HAM & CHEDDAR QUICHE
Just a few simple ingredients. I like to make my own crust, but it is perfectly acceptable to use a prepared frozen pie crust if you wish. Do plan on par-baking it either way so that your pastry stays nice and crisp after you put the filling into it to bake.
For the pastry:
- 1 cups all purpose flour (140g)
- 1/3 teaspoon salt
- 2 1/2 TBS butter (36g)
- 2 1/2 TBS lard (or white vegetable shortening) (35g)
- 3 to 4 tablespoons of ice water
For the filling:
- 1 small broccoli crown, trimmed and chopped (about 3/4 pound or 300g)
- 2 cups (400g) cubed ham (I used a ham steak)
- 2 TBS butter (27g)
- 1 small white onion, peeled and finely chopped
- 1 fat clove of garlic, peeled and minced
- 1 tsp salt, divided
- 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper divided
- 3 large eggs
- 1 1/8 cups (10 ounces or 284ml) whole milk
- 1/3 cup (80ml) heavy cream
- 1 1/2 cups (115g) sharp/strong cheddar cheese, grated coarsely and divided
- 1/2 TBS Dijon mustard
My broccoli crown was about 6 inches in diameter. I lopped off a portion of the bottom, peeled the stem and then chopped both, breaking the broccoli into 1/2 inch florets. I ended up with about 3 1/2 to 4 cups of it.
As I said I used a ham steak, the bone in kind that is like a slab cut from a ham. I did not need to use the whole steak, just half of it and I trimmed it and cut it into 1/2 inch cubes.
I used a mix of strong and medium cheddars, in white and orange. It was a pre-grated mix from the shops. Armstrong's I believe. I think it was a great choice of strong and medium flavors, which worked well with everything else.
I use free range eggs, but that is my choice. Large sized. Full fat milk and full fat cream.
HOW TO MAKE BROCCOLI, HAM & CHEDDAR QUICHE
This is really a very simple make. The pastry goes together easily and you could actually get on with the filling while it is chilling. I do recommend par-baking the pastry (whether you make your own or use a frozen crust) so that you don't end up with a soggy bottom.
Make your pastry first. Mix flour with salt, and cut in butter and lard, until you have pieces of fat in the flour about the size of peas. Add ice water, one TBS at a time, tossing it in with a fork until pastry comes together. Form in to a ball, wrap in cling film and then chill for about half an hour.
Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Have ready a 9 inch deep pie dish and a baking tray to set it on.
Roll out your pastry (on a lightly floured surface) to a round roughly 13 inches in diameter. Fit into the pie dish. Trim and crimp the edges and prick the bottom with a fork. Fit a sheet of baking paper inside and fill with beans or rice. Place onto the baking sheet and pre-bake the crust for about 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside while you make your filling. (Keep the oven on.)
To make the filling, melt the butter in a large skillet. Add the onions and garlic. Cook stirring for about 5 minutes until translucent. Add the broccoli, ham, and 1/2 tsp of salt and 1/4 tsp pepper. Cook, stirring for about 8 minutes, or until the broccoli is crispy tender. Remove and set aside to cool for about 10 minutes.
Brush the bottom of the pastry with the Dijon mustard. Top with roughly half of the cheese. Place the broccoli mixture on top of the cheese.
Beat together the eggs, milk, cream, remaining seasonings, and 1/2 of the remaining cheese. Pour this mixture over top of the broccoli mixture. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over top.
Replace the filled pie crust onto the baking sheet and return to the oven.
Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until the custard is completely set and the crust is golden brown. (The tip of a sharp knife inserted near the center should come out clean.)
Leave to cool in the pan for 10 to 15 minutes, before cutting into wedges to serve. A salad goes nicely alongside.
This was exceptionally delicious and really much more ham and broccoli than it was egg custard. I brought half over to my next door neighbor and she loved it also! All you really need on the side to this is a nice salad.
This was quick and easy to make, aside from having to chill the pastry. You could get around that by using a prepared frozen pastry shell if you wanted to and are really in a rush!
Eggs for supper is one of my favorite things, especially when the come in the form of a quiche! Here are a few other favorite quiche recipes!
QUICHE IN A BUN - Skip the crust and bake your quiche filling in a hollowed out crusty bun. This is a unique way to prepare a quiche and such a simple thing to do. No preparation of pastry, rolling or cutting to do. Simply hollow out your buns, prep the filling and fill the hollowed out buns with it. Bake to perfection. No fuss, no muss deliciousness!
SALMON AND BROCCOLI QUICHE - Salmon and broccoli are perfect flavor partners and when you combine them with cheese in a tasty quiche filling, they really shine! This is quite simply one of my all time favorite quiche fillings. We love this in our home. We really do!
Yield: Six servings
Broccoli, Ham & Cheddar Quiche
Prep time: 40 MinCook time: 1 H & 15 MTotal time: 1 H & 55 M
With its tender and flaky crust and delicious filling of tender broccoli, chunks of ham and rich cheddar cheese, this is a quiche real men will always want to eat.
Ingredients
For the pastry:
- 1 cups all purpose flour (140g)
- 1/3 teaspoon salt
- 2 1/2 TBS butter (36g)
- 2 1/2 TBS lard (or white vegetable shortening) (35g)
- 3 to 4 tablespoons of ice water
For the filling:
- 1 small broccoli crown, trimmed and chopped (about 3/4 pound or 300g)
- 2 cups (400g) cubed ham (I used a ham steak)
- 2 TBS butter (27g)
- 1 small white onion, peeled and finely chopped
- 1 fat clove of garlic, peeled and minced
- 1 tsp salt, divided
- 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper divided
- 3 large eggs
- 1 1/8 cups (10 ounces or 284ml) whole milk
- 1/3 cup (80ml) heavy cream
- 1 1/2 cups (115g) sharp/strong cheddar cheese, grated coarsely and divided
- 1/2 TBS Dijon mustard
Instructions
- Make your pastry first. Mix flour with salt, and cut in butter and lard, until you have pieces of fat in the flour about the size of peas. Add ice water, one TBS at a time, tossing it in with a fork until pastry comes together. Form in to a ball, wrap in cling film and then chill for about half an hour.
- Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Have ready a 9 inch deep pie dish and a baking tray to set it on.
- Roll out your pastry (on a lightly floured surface) to a round roughly 13 inches in diameter. Fit into the pie dish. Trim and crimp the edges and prick the bottom with a fork. Fit a sheet of baking paper inside and fill with beans or rice. Place onto the baking sheet and pre-bake the crust for about 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside while you make your filling. (Keep the oven on.)
- To make the filling, melt the butter in a large skillet. Add the onions and garlic. Cook stirring for about 5 minutes until translucent. Add the broccoli, ham, and 1/2 tsp of salt and 1/4 tsp pepper. Cook, stirring for about 8 minutes, or until the broccoli is crispy tender. Remove and set aside to cool for about 10 minutes.
- Brush the bottom of the pastry with the Dijon mustard. Top with roughly half of the cheese. Place the broccoli mixture on top of the cheese.
- Beat together the eggs, milk, cream, remaining seasonings, and 1/2 of the remaining cheese. Pour this mixture over top of the broccoli mixture. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over top.
- Replace the filled pie crust onto the baking sheet and return to the oven.
- Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until the custard is completely set and the crust is golden brown. (The tip of a sharp knife inserted near the center should come out clean.)
- Leave to cool in the pan for 10 to 15 minutes, before cutting into wedges to serve. A salad goes nicely alongside.
This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at: mariealicejoan at aol dot com
Thanks so much for visiting! Do come again!
If you like what you see here, why not consider signing up for my newsletter and/or subscribing/following me on Grow. You can also bookmark my recipes via the Grow platform. Check out the heart on the right hand side of the screen.
Also, if you have not checked out my YouTube Channel yet, do give it a gander. I would really appreciate it, and if you want to subscribe that would be even more appreciated! Thank you so much! It is not really fancy like some people's channels. I am very much learning as I go along, but what you get is authentic at least! There is nothing fake there! No filters, bells or whistles. Filmed in real time and unedited!
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