Thursday, October 16, 2008

Pumpkin Pasta with Easy Sage Alfredo Sauce

Tonight I made the pumpkin pasta I made last night. It cooked beautifully. As I mentioned in yesterday's post, the pasta only needs to be cooked for 1 min once the water returns to a boil. I wouldn't say the pasta had an overly pumpkiny flavour, but it did have a nice light orange colour. My plan was to make a creamy sage sauce for a nice autumn twist on a pasta dish, but wanted to make sure it did not taste like spaghetti with Thanksgiving gravy. I was worried the kids would not like it but they gobbled it right up. Son #1 even rejected his usual bowl of cereal at bedtime and asked for more pasta. I don't think that has ever happened before.

INGREDIENTS
- 1 lb pumpkin pasta (I made fettuccine)
- 3 cloves garlic, skins on
- 3 tbsp margarine
- 2 generous tbsp flour
- 1 tsp sage
- 1/4 tsp thyme
- pinch of nutmeg
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 cups soy milk
- 1 cup firm silken tofu

INGREDIENTS
1. Cook pasta in rapidly boiling salted water for about 60 seconds, until soft but still firm.
2. While water is heating, make sauce. Dry roast garlic in a pan until soft. Remove from heat, remove skins, and chop.
3. Heat margarine in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour and bring to bubbling. Add garlic and spices and mix, then whisk in soy milk. Bring to bubbling, whisking regularly.
4. Add tofu and blend with a hand blender. Adjust seasonings to taste. Mix with cooked pasta and serve.