Pumpkin Penne

I'm going to talk about copyrights for a second.

I'm lazy and didn't want to transcribe this whole recipe so I googled it so I could copy and paste. A few bloggers mentioned that they won't post recipes that come from published cookbooks because of copyright infringement. So, I went to the US Copyright Office and looked into the law on recipes. It appears that if you are just listing ingredients then you are fine. When a recipe goes into detailed directions then it gets tricky.

The purpose of a food blog, I think, is to share the love of food and recipe. So I am going to continue posting recipes even if they are from a cookbook. I own this cookbook, Veganomicon, and I think that ANY vegan or vegetarian would get a lot from it. Actually, you probably already own it because it is super popular. And awesome.

This dish is AH-MAY-ZING! The "ricotta" made of tofu, cashews, and garlic is so good I'd eat it as a dip. You would never know it was vegan...and not ricotta. Actually, it's better than ricotta.

Don't be scared that this has pumpkin in it. You can't really taste it...it lends sort of a sweetness to the dish. Plus nutrients!

Enjoy this one my friends! It is definitely a winner!


Caramelized Onion and Sage Pumpkin Penne Pasta
Source: Veganomicon
Yield: 8 servings

1 pound uncooked ziti or penne
2 onions, sliced very thinly
3 T olive oil
1 recipe cashew ricotta (follows)
1T brown sugar
1/4 t. ground nutmeg
White pepper and cayenne
2 c or 1 15-oz can pumpkin puree (not pie mix)
1/4 c. vegetable broth

Cashew ricotta (makes 2 cups):
1/2 c. cashew pieces (approx. 4 oz.)
1/4 c. fresh lemon juice
2 T olive oil
2 cloves fresh or roasted garlic
1 lb. firm tofu, drained and crumbled
1-1/2 t. dried basil
1-1/2 t. salt

Sage bread crumbs:
2-1/2 c. bread crumbs, preferably freshly made
1/4 c. olive oil
2 t. dried, rubbed sage
1/2 t. ground paprika
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 375. Lightly grease a 9×11 or 9×13-inch lasagna pan with olive oil. Prepare ziti according to package directions. Drain, rinse, drain again and set aside.

While ziti is cooking, make the caramelized onions: preheat a large, heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat. Saute onions in oil until some onion bits are very brown and caramelized, about 12 to 15 minutes. Set aside.

Make the cashew ricotta: In a food processor, blend together the cashews, lemon juice, olive oil and garlic until a thick creamy paste forms. Add the crumbled tofu to the food processor, working in batches if necessary, until the mixture is thick and well blended. Blend in the basil and salt.

Place cashew ricotta in large bowl and fold in pumpkin puree, brown sugar, nutmeg, white pepper, cayenne, and vegetable broth. Add the cooked ziti and the caramelized onions. Pour mixture into the prepared pan and level with a spatula, pressing slightly.

Make the bread crumb topping: Melt margarine or heat oil in a heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat. Stir in the bread crumbs, dried herbs, and paprika and season with salt and pepper. Stir constantly until the mixture is lightly coated, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat and spread over pasta mixture.

Bake 28 to 30 minutes, until the top of the ziti is golden brown. Cool for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.