Baked penne with pumpkin, sausage and pecans

A typical winter dish created by Iolanda Maggio to enjoy paired with the Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Coltassala 2017 Castello di Volpaia.

Ingredients for 4 people:

200g penne rigate (‘ridged’,) 250g Mantova pumpkin squash cut into cubes, 2 sausages, 100g roughly chopped pecans, 150g fiordilatte (cow’s milk) mozzarella, ½ liter low fat milk, 50g butter, 50g flour, ½ yellow onion, 1 garlic clove, a rosemary sprig, nutmeg, Parmigiano Reggiano, salt and extra-virgin olive oil as needed.

Directions:

Add a trickle of EVOO to a non-stick pan and then the onion that has been finely chopped, the rosemary sprig and pumpkin squash. Cover and cook at a moderate heat, salting to taste.

Crumble the sausage and fry it well in a separate pan with a trickle of EVOO and the garlic clove.

Make a béchamel white sauce by adding to a small pot the flour and butter along with the warmed milk which is trickled and stirred in to avoid creating lumps. When the sauce is ready add some of the Parmigiano, a little grated nutmeg and salt to taste.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the pasta until it is “al dente” (if the suggested cooking time is 12 minutes reduce this to 8-9 minutes).

Mix the pasta with the pumpkin squash (having removed the rosemary sprig), the sausage, pecans, 2/3 of the béchamel and the mozzarella that has been cut into cubes.

Add some béchamel to a baking pan and then on top the pasta making sure to even it out. Cover the surface with the rest of the béchamel, a generous spread of Parmigiano and some pieces of butter.

Bake the pasta for some 30 minutes in an oven pre-heated to 180°C or until a nice, golden crust forms on the top.

Wine to pair:

(edited by Stefania Vinciguerra)

Chianti Classico Gran Selezione Coltassala 2017 Castello di Volpaia

Very intense ruby red color. Neat, refined and complex nose of wild strawberry, then rhubarb, currant, blackberry, sour cherry and subtle vanilla. Tense and firm palate showing dense yet refined and velvety tannin; extremely elegant, warm but supple leading to very captivating finish.  

Production area: Coltassala vineyard in Volpaia Estate, in the municipality of Radda in Chianti, located at an altitude of 487-535 meters above sea level (around 1,700 ft.) and facing south. The soil is sandy-loamy sandstone (Oligocene).

Grape varieties: 95% sangiovese, 5% mammolo. Average age of vines 20-25 years old. Ongoing replanting since the 1980s. Organic grapes, Guyot training system. Density is 5.698 vines/ha, grape yield 4,5 tons/ha, wine yield 30 hl. 

Harvest: early handpicking on September 22, 2017. Despite the summer heat and drought, some providential rains that fell around September 10 allowed the vines to complete the ripening process. 

Vinification: maturation 24 months in new Allier oak barrique, bottle ageing for at least 6 months. 

Alcohol content: 14% vol. 

Serving temperature: 18°C.

Suggested food pairings: aged cheeses, first courses with meat sauces, main courses of red meat.

THIS RECIPE IS OFFERED BY CASTELLO DI VOLPAIA

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