Five recipes to enjoy Delica pumpkin

The Delica squash has always been a real reserve of vitamins, minerals, sugars, and easily digestible vegetable fats, especially during the toughest periods of Italian history. A nourishing and warming vegetable with strong energy potential. A product where nothing goes to waste. Here we present some classic ways to use Delica squash from north to south of our beautiful country, five simple recipes to let your creativity run wild and have fun in the kitchen.

Salted pumpkin seeds: Let’s start from the heart of the pumpkin. Pumpkin seeds are delicious, a perfect snack for an aperitif if you have friends over and want to impress with simplicity. Just wash the pumpkin seeds well and remove the filaments. Then, pass the wet seeds through a plate containing salt (we recommend using coarse unrefined salt like Cervia or Marsala and crushing it with a meat tenderizer to make it finer). The salt will stick to the seed shell. Place them on baking paper on a tray. Bake in a preheated oven at 200°C for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally. You can serve them hot or cold with a good glass of white wine; a Valdobbiadene and Conegliano Superiore Prosecco DOCG would be perfect.

Baked pumpkin: This was a childhood delight when our mother prepared the sweet baked Delica for us. Simply cut thin slices of pumpkin and arrange them on a tray covered with baking paper. Bake in a preheated oven at around 150°C for 10-15 minutes (the time depends on the thickness of the slice, typically 5mm). You can garnish with sweet spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, turmeric, ginger, with acacia honey, creamy cheese, or ricotta mixed with unrefined salt. They are also excellent garnished with a few drops of Modena Balsamic Vinegar PGI, or even better, with Traditional Vinegar from Modena and Reggio Emilia. There’s plenty of room for creativity. For Halloween, you can also create pumpkin face-shaped cutouts and cover them with concentrated tomato sauce for a more thrilling effect!

Pumpkin gnocchi: Let's add some color to our dishes! Take 300g of good gnocchi potatoes with firm and floury flesh, 180g of Delica pumpkin pulp, organic stone-ground type 1 flour, and fine unrefined salt. After boiling the potatoes and baking the pumpkin pieces (boiling would cause too much loss of flavor and nutrients), add a pinch of salt and some flour, just enough to make the dough workable. Not too much, let the potato starch act as a binder. Knead for at least 3 minutes, then cut the gnocchi. You can dress them simply with butter and sage, or with mild Pienza pecorino and freshly ground pepper, or with scallops and zucchini flowers if you want to go gourmet, or with sweet Gorgonzola DOP.

Pumpkin risotto: Creamy is best! This is an old tradition from the Venetian plains where Vialone Nano rice reigns supreme. A rice that strikes a perfect balance between fiber and starch, making it ideal for creamy risottos. With pumpkin, it’s a must! How do you make it? The classic recipe calls for 320g of Vialone Nano rice, 300g of Delica pumpkin, 1 liter of vegetable broth, 80g of butter, 1 onion, fresh chopped parsley, 40g of Parmigiano Reggiano DOP, fine unrefined salt, and white pepper. First, cook the pumpkin pieces in the oven where they will stay firm and sweet. Then, sauté the finely chopped onion in a pan with butter (you can also use freshly milled extra virgin olive oil, given the season). Add the oven-cooked pumpkin pieces to the onion, add a pinch of fine unrefined salt, and cover with a lid. Cook until the pumpkin has completely melted in the pan. Meanwhile, prepare the rice. First, toast the rice in a separate pan with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Toasting is complete when the rice is too hot to hold in your hand. At that point, add the pumpkin to the rice and begin stirring in the broth, ensuring the rice is always covered, until it reaches full cooking. A few minutes before the end of cooking, stir in some butter or extra virgin olive oil.

Stuffing for Mantuan pumpkin tortelli: This stuffing is perfect for tortelli, ravioli, or other types of filled pasta or similar products. The ingredients are 300g of Delica pumpkin pulp, 100g of amaretti cookies, 30g of Mantuan mustard, 200g of Parmigiano Reggiano DOP, and 60g of butter. First, make the pumpkin puree by blending the oven or steamed-cooked pumpkin. Once you have the puree, finely crumble the amaretti, then add the mustard, a pinch of nutmeg, salt to taste, and finally the Parmigiano Reggiano, which will give the filling its consistency. Once the mixture is ready, refrigerate it for about three hours. And voilà, the gourmet Delica pumpkin creation is served!