Ingredients
500g pumpkin, seeded, peeled, chopped
2 cups dried macaroni
¼ cup unsalted butter, plus extra, to grease
2 Tbsp plain flour
½ tsp ground nutmeg
½ tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup chicken stock
1 cup double cream
Sea-salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper, to season
150g fontina cheese, grated
½ bunch sage, leaves finely chopped
1 cup multigrain breadcrumbs
½ cup finely grated pecorino cheese
½ cup walnuts, finely chopped
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Method
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Preheat oven to 180°C. Steam pumpkin over a saucepan of simmering water until just tender. Puree in a food processor, then spoon onto a damp tea towel. Twist up and squeeze out excess moisture. Set aside. Cook pasta, following packet instructions, until al dente, then drain well. Set aside.
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Put butter, flour and spices in a medium saucepan over a medium heat. Cook for 2 minutes or until foamy. Add stock and cream. Simmer until thickened. Season. Fold in pumpkin, fontina, sage and pasta.
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Spoon mixture into a greased 2L casserole dish. In a large bowl, mix breadcrumbs, pecorino and walnuts, then scatter over macaroni mixture. Drizzle with oil. Bake for 30 minutes or until top is golden. Stand for 10 minutes to cool a little before serving.
