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Neven has a Halloween recipe up his sleeve for us this week: Penne with pumpkin, crispy bacon, sage and Parmesan

neven pumkin penne

I love this time of year. Conor and Lucia have made their pumpkin lanterns and I never let anything go to waste. I make soup with the flesh that they have scraped out – which is also good with pasta. Sage is a herb that tastes particularly well with pumpkin.

This is a recipe that you could use any time of the year with butternut squash or with sweet potatoes instead of the pumpkin.

I mentioned recently how many butchers are making their own sausages and here is another chance to try some out. With colcannon, this makes a very tasty meal.

Colcannon is also delicious with any grilled meat or with Sunday lunch. I often use this onion gravy with roast meats or pork chops. Allowing it to carmelise adds great depth of flavour.

Happy cooking,

Neven

Penne with pumpkin, crispy bacon, sage and Parmesan

Serves four to six

4 tbsp olive oil

175g (175g) smoked streaky bacon lardons

500g (1¼lb) pumpkin, peeled, seeded and finely diced

15g (½oz) packet fresh sage, finely shredded

500g (1¼lb) penne pasta

50g (2oz) freshly grated Parmesan, plus extra to garnish

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

  • 1 Heat the oil a large frying pan and fry the bacon for two to three minutes until crisp. Add the pumpkin with the sage. Season with salt and pepper and cook for four to five minutes, stirring occasionally until the pumpkin is cooked through.
  • 2 Cook the penne according to the packet instructions, then drain and add to the pumpkin with the crispy bacon. Stir in the Parmesan and season to taste, then divide among bowls.
  • 3 Garnish with extra Parmesan and black pepper.

Sausages with colcannon

Serves eight to 10

1.5kg (3lb) floury potatoes (such as Rooster), peeled and cut into chunks

8 traditional jumbo Irish pork sausages

225g (8oz) kale, finely shredded

2 scallions, very finely chopped

120ml (4fl oz) milk

75g (3oz) butter

Salt and pepper

Stout onion gravy, to serve (optional, see point 3)

  • 1 Steam the potatoes until tender. Cook the sausages in a frying pan in a little oil or under the grill. Place a knob of the butter and a tablespoon of water in a pan over a high heat. Add the kale and scallions with a pinch of salt. Cover, shake vigorously and cook for 1½ minutes. Shake again and cook for another 1½ minutes, until the cabbage or kale is tender but still crisp.
  • 2 Heat the milk in a small pan or in the microwave. Mash the potatoes and then beat in the butter with enough of the milk to make a smooth, creamy mash. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve with the sausages and some gravy, if liked.
  • 3 Stout onion gravy: sauté thinly sliced onions in butter and season with salt and pepper, then sprinkle with a little sugar to caramelise. Stir in a spoonful of flour and then pour in enough Guinness or beef stock from a cube to make a thick smooth gravy.
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Georgina Hayden’s churros Dutch baby recipe:

Hayden says this is her ‘kids’ dream breakfast’.

Ingredients

“I love classic Spanish churros for breakfast – who doesn’t?” Chef Georgina Hayden says.

“Dipped in hot chocolate, they’re such a treat, but deep-frying is not something I want to be doing on a weekday morning (or any morning, come to that). This is a striking and fun alternative.

“As with all good batters, you can just leave this one in the fridge overnight for next-level effortlessness. My kids’ dream breakfast.”

Churros Dutch baby

Serves: 4

  • 85g plain flour
  • 275ml whole milk
  • 3 large eggs
  • A good pinch of sea salt
  • 1tsp vanilla extract
  • 50g unsalted butter
  • 4tbsp icing sugar
  • 1tsp ground cinnamon
  • 150g chocolate (Hayden likes a mixture of dark and milk, but whatever floats your boat…)
  • 200ml single cream

Method

1. Blitz the plain flour, 175 millilitres of the whole milk, the eggs, sea salt and vanilla in a blender until smooth. You can also do this by hand with a whisk.

2. If you can, cover and leave the mixture to rest for 30 minutes, or in the fridge if leaving longer (though bring the batter to room temperature before cooking).

3. Preheat your oven to 220°C/200°C fan/gas mark seven.

4. Cut the butter into cubes and place in a large ovenproof frying pan or cast-iron pan.

5. Pop into the oven until the butter has melted and is browned (this adds loads of flavour), but you don’t want it to burn, so keep an eye on it.

6. Working quickly and carefully, leave the pan in the oven, pour in the batter and shut the door. Leave it untouched for 20 minutes (do not open that door!).

7. Then reduce the oven temperature to 180°C/160°C fan/gas mark four and bake for a further five minutes.

8. While the pancake is baking, make the cinnamon sugar and the hot chocolate. Mix the icing sugar and ground cinnamon and set aside. Cut or break the chocolate into small equal-sized pieces and place them in a heatproof bowl.

9. When the Dutch baby is almost ready, heat the single cream and remaining 100 millilitres of milk in a small saucepan over a medium heat, so it is hot but not boiling. Remove from the hob before it starts to bubble, then pour it over the chocolate. Leave for one minute, then stir until you have a thick, smooth chocolate sauce.

10. When the Dutch baby is ready, remove from the oven and dust straight away with the cinnamon sugar, as evenly as you can. Serve with the chocolate sauce on the side.

MEDesque by Georgina Hayden is published in hardback by Bloomsbury Publishing. Photography by Laura Edwards. Available now.