We’ve been having slightly different versions of this dish a lot this winter, especially after Duncan got his braces put in, as it was one of the very few things he could eat without any pain, but I was somehow dragging my feet about turning it into a recipe.
It’s because I didn’t trust myself to be able to photograph it in a remotely appetising way. I know, I am funny. I am the kind of person who takes ages picking produce in a veg shop as it needs to be perfect. Not perfect in the sense of blemish-free and being perfectly symmetrical, but it has to be fresh, vibrant in colour and if rustic, beautifully rustic. Duncan has been making fun of me for that ever since we started the blog. Whenever I am taking ages picking something, he comes over and says ‘How is the interviewing going? Is that pepper going to be able to carry the show? Are you sure?’ Cheeky bastard 😉 . Don’t bite off the hand that feeds ya, I say! So today on the menu is a marriage between an American classic, ‘mac and cheese’ and one of my personal favourite flavour combos – pumpkin and sage. If you are not a person after my own heart and hate pumpkin (I mean, what is wrong with you???!! 😉 ), skip it and perhaps replace it with cauliflower or parsnips. You could also incorporate the vegetable into the sauce – in some of my previous takes, I blended the pumpkin into the sauce itself instead of some of the cashews or sunflower seeds – to make the sauce a little lighter. Your dinner, your rules 🙂 .
500 g / 1 lb firm pumpkin or squash (I used butternut squash) 2-4 tsp olive oil 500 g / 1 lb macaroni pasta a few fresh sage leaves, for frying (optional) 45 g / 1.5 oz melty vegan cheese, grated (optional) 45 g / 1.5 oz breadcrumbs***
ASSEMBLY
***You could also do a mixture of breadcrumbs and finely chopped walnuts or pecans. The Pyrex dish I used had the following dimensions: 26 cm x 19 cm x 5 cm (10″ x 7.5″ x 2″)
