Autumn means harvest, Hallowe'en, comforting food and pumpkins. In Tuscany, the main foods of the season are mushrooms, chestnuts and truffles and there are even festivals to celebrate these favourites! More and more, Italy celebrates Hallowe'en and, if you combine this with the famous pumpkins from the Arno Valley area – you get a match made in heaven (or, given the season, should we say hell?)! This Tuscan pumpkin variety is called “zucca lardaia”. Pumpkin was first brought to Europe by Spanish settlers and it is normally only a commonplace ingredient in traditional dishes in northern Italy.
However, these pumpkins are just the thing to add an interesting kick to some hearty and delicious dishes and soups, in particular. As it is a very sweet flavour it is usually combined with strong flavoured ingredients such as onion, herbs and rosemary in Tuscany and this recipe does just that: making use of the seasonal mushrooms and adding a touch of sweetness of the pumpkins, it is all kept in check by the strong presence of the onion and rosemary. Find a luxury villa in the Arno Valley and hunt down their local pumpkins and, in the meantime, try out the recipe with your own varieties while you plan your Autumn getaway.
However, these pumpkins are just the thing to add an interesting kick to some hearty and delicious dishes and soups, in particular. As it is a very sweet flavour it is usually combined with strong flavoured ingredients such as onion, herbs and rosemary in Tuscany and this recipe does just that: making use of the seasonal mushrooms and adding a touch of sweetness of the pumpkins, it is all kept in check by the strong presence of the onion and rosemary. Find a luxury villa in the Arno Valley and hunt down their local pumpkins and, in the meantime, try out the recipe with your own varieties while you plan your Autumn getaway.
Ingredients
Serves four people
1 slice of pumpkin
1 onion
Some fresh Porcini mushrooms
A dash of salt
Some extra virgin olive oil
And a little rosemary or parsley
Method
1. Firstly, you will need to dice the pumpkin into small cubes (around 2cm in size) and fry them in two tablespoons of olive oil. Add the sliced onion and fry the two together.
2. Pour boiling salted water over the mixture and then leave it to cook slowly for around half an hour.
3. Next, you need to also cut the mushrooms into small cubes and then fry them in another pan in two tablespoons of olive oil.
4. Taking the pumpkin and onion off the heat for a moment, use a hand-mixer to blend the mixture and get rid of any large lumps that might remain.
5. Now you can combine the pumpkin soup with the mushrooms that you have prepared.
6. To finish, add some toasted croutons, some of the rosemary leaves or parsley and serve with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
Now that you've got a taste for Autumn in Tuscany, you'll be dying to get away from it all and enjoy the season in that most lovely of regions!
Serves four people
1 slice of pumpkin
1 onion
Some fresh Porcini mushrooms
A dash of salt
Some extra virgin olive oil
And a little rosemary or parsley
Method
1. Firstly, you will need to dice the pumpkin into small cubes (around 2cm in size) and fry them in two tablespoons of olive oil. Add the sliced onion and fry the two together.
2. Pour boiling salted water over the mixture and then leave it to cook slowly for around half an hour.
3. Next, you need to also cut the mushrooms into small cubes and then fry them in another pan in two tablespoons of olive oil.
4. Taking the pumpkin and onion off the heat for a moment, use a hand-mixer to blend the mixture and get rid of any large lumps that might remain.
5. Now you can combine the pumpkin soup with the mushrooms that you have prepared.
6. To finish, add some toasted croutons, some of the rosemary leaves or parsley and serve with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
Now that you've got a taste for Autumn in Tuscany, you'll be dying to get away from it all and enjoy the season in that most lovely of regions!
