October pasta

Yesterday it was 'Dierendag' (Animalday) where we pay some extra attention to our pets and all other animals in general. This also mean: no animals on the menu!

Now... in our house we don't eat meat every day anyway, but it's extra nice to pay some extra attention to it.

Last night we had this vegetarian pasta with pumpkin and kale, because autumn and October and such!

Ingredients (3-4p):

• 300 gram pasta • 150 gram kale (boerenkool) • 500 gram pumpkin • 100 gram pecans • 100 gram white cheese •4 garlic cloves • 1 onion • 1 tsp thyme • 1 tbsp dried oregano • 2 tsp chilli flakes • drizzle of honey • salt • olive oil • 3 tbsp white wine vinegar • 1 tbsp butter •

1. Start with frying your pecans in a hot pan with some butter. Scoop them out into a bowl and add some salt and honey. Stir well and set aside.

2. Heat up your oven and clean your pumpkin (butternut squash) and cut into cubes. Drizzle in some oil, 2 grated garlic cloves, 1 tsp chilli flakes and half of the thyme and oregano. Grill in the oven at 200°C for 25-30 minutes. Also start boiling your pasta.

3. In the same pan as before, heat up some extra oil and start frying your finely chopping onion and garlic and add the kale. I also added some leftover green asparagus, but these are optional.

4. As soon as the pasta and pumpkin are done, add them into the kal and stir well. Add salt to taste, together with the white wine vinegar and the white cheese.

Scoop on a plate and garnish with the sweet and salty pecans. Drizzle a little extra olive oil on top and enjoy!