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"Vodka cream anything is always in style," Rach says.
- 1 ½-2 pounds diced orange flesh squash, such as sugar pumpkin, Kuri, cheese squash or butternut
- Non-aerosol cooking spray
- Salt and pepper
- Grated nutmeg, to taste
- 2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
- 1 bay leaf
- ½ small cinnamon stick
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 2 shallots, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, grated or finely chopped
- 6-8 leaves sage, finely chopped
- Zest of 1 lemon, plus ½ lemon, juiced
- ¾ cup vodka
- ¾ cup heavy cream
- 1 pound penne rigate or rigatoni
- ¾ cup fresh ricotta cheese
- ¾ cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus more for passing
- Finely chopped chives
Preheat oven to 425˚F.
Heat a large pot of water to boil for pasta.
Arrange half the squash on baking sheet and spray with oil, then season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Roast to brown at edges and tender, 20 to 25 minutes.
Place the remaining squash in a pan with a lid with stock, bay, cinnamon, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and cook to tender, 12 to 15 minutes, then discard bay and cinnamon, and transfer and puree in food processor.
Melt butter in large skillet over medium heat. When it foams, add shallots, garlic, sage, lemon zest, salt and pepper and soften a few minutes. Add vodka and let it absorb, add cream and bring to bubble, then reduce heat and let cream thicken a bit.
Salt water and cook pasta 1 minute less than package directions and reserve 1 cup starchy cooking water.
Add pumpkin puree and ricotta to vodka cream mixture in skillet and stir to combine; season with salt and pepper.
Drain pasta, then add pasta, Parm and lemon juice to the skillet with pumpkin vodka cream sauce. Stir in starchy water as necessary to coat pasta in sauce. Arrange in bowls and top with roasted pumpkin and pass with more cheese.
