It's pumpkin time, as anyone who went to the county fair this year to witness the nearly 400-pound prize-winner would know. Pumpkins resembling Cinderella's coach might win blue ribbons, but would not be our first choice for cooking. The 'sugar,' or 'pie' pumpkins, which are grown specifically for cooking, have a smaller seed cavity, more flesh, and are less stringy.

A pumpkin stores well for up to five months if kept in a cool, dry place or root cellar, and pumpkin puree freezes well. And don't forget—if pumpkin is not available, any winter squash will substitute in most recipes.

This unique dish has a mild south-of-the-border influence, and would be great served with warm tortillas and some plain yogurt or sour cream.

Pumpkin with Black Beans

1 Tbs vegetable oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup pumpkin, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/4 cup sherry (optional may substitute another 1/4 cup vegetable broth)
2 cups cooked black beans
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp thyme
3 green onions, sliced

In a large frying pan, heat the oil. Add onion, garlic and pumpkin, and sauté until the onion is softened. Add sherry and broth and simmer until the pumpkin is tender when pierced with a fork, about 8 minutes.

Add the beans, salt, cumin, and thyme; continue to simmer until the beans are heated through. Garnish with green onions.

Pasta means 'paste' or 'dough' in Italian. The mixing of flour and water to form a paste (which is kneaded and cut into various shapes) is a very old culinary process. It is also common to many cultures. Manuscripts and paintings from a number of ancient cultures reveal that pasta was enjoyed as a staple as long as 3500 years ago (during the Shang dynasty in China, the Etruscan civilization, and in ancient Greece). A long history of pasta making also exists in Spain, Israel, Persia, and Russia.

Several decades ago, spaghetti with a red sauce or macaroni-&-cheese were about the only pasta dishes familiar to most Americans. Yet now we regularly consume pasta in many forms, with many sauces and presentations. In the 1960's few of us called spaghetti "pasta," so a few words about terminology: flour-and-water pastas are strictly classified as macaroni, and egg pastas are called noodles. But, we use these terms somewhat interchangeably. For instance, fettuccine is called pasta even though it is, strictly speaking, a noodle, i.e. made from an egg paste.

If you've browsed through the pleasing array of bulk pasta at the Coop, maybe you've wondered about the "macaroni" in the drawers in the far right-hand column: the garlic-parsley rice twists, the quinoa linguini, rotelle, curls and pagodas, the corn spaghetti? Well, let me testify that they are very good! The first time I bought corn spaghetti was many years ago, quite by accident. I was shopping in a hurry and didn't realize what I'd purchased. I thought I'd bought regular wheat spaghetti, and threw it in a big pot of boiling water. The flavor was intriguing and different, but since I thought I was cooking wheat spaghetti, I overcooked it. Since then, I've learned that I'm allergic to wheat; so now I purposely buy the gluten-free pasta.

While I do miss wheat terribly when it comes to my daily bread, I never feel deprived when I sup on gluten-free pasta dishes. They are plenty satisfying in their own right. My personal favorites are the quinoa and corn varieties.

The secret to cooking gluten-free pasta is not to overcook it. Without wheat's gluten, the window of time between underdone and overdone passes very quickly. I also don't think the rice, corn, or quinoa varieties expand as they cook as much as wheat pasta does. So you'll want to cook a little more dry pasta than you would with wheat. For each 8 ounces of dry pasta, bring at least 3 or 4 quarts of salted water to a rapid boil. Stir the dry pasta into the water with a large spoon or fork, breaking apart noodles that might clump together. Bring the water back to a gently rolling boil and cook uncovered for about 4 minutes. At this point, start tasting a bit of pasta every minute. As the pasta gets close to done, taste more often. When it is done, act fast: immediately drain it in a colander. Or, have a couple of cups of cold water handy, and throw the cold water into the pasta pot as soon as the noodles are done, then carry the pot to the sink and drain. (The cold water will momentarily stop the boil, and give you a bit more time to get your pot and colander to the sink.) Don't rinse cooked pasta under running water. Rinsing inhibits the adhesion of your sauce. Adding oil to your cooking water also keeps the sauce from clinging well.

The only time I rinse cooked pasta is if I'm making a chilled pasta salad that is going to spend the night in the refrigerator. Rinsing the cooked, drained pasta briefly with cool tap water will help inhibit the absorption of all your salad dressing, so you won't end up with dry, cold pasta the next day.

There are so many pasta recipes available these days. You can adapt most recipes by substituting gluten-free pasta of various shapes and sizes. Just remember that pasta with more surface area offers more space for the sauce to adhere. If you like leftovers, delicate shapes, like the quinoa pagodas, do not hold up to storage as well as linguini or elbows.

The following recipe is my invention. I've served it on both quinoa/corn linguini and on corn spaghetti. Since mushrooms cook quickly, have all your ingredients chopped and measured, and get your pasta water boiling before you start cooking the mushrooms. I usually start cooking the spaghetti as the mushrooms cook. I add the garlic in stages, starting when I begin sautéing the mushrooms. When company has eaten this dish, they've devoured it with kudos and raves and never knew they weren't eating regular wheat pasta.

Shitake, Goat Cheese & Corn Spaghetti

Corn spaghetti
1 medium onion, chopped (about 2 cups)
1 bunch scallions, chopped
3 T. extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 t. sea salt
1/4 to 1/3 c. garlic (or less, to taste), minced
4 c. sliced Shitake mushroom caps (discard stems or save for making stock)
1/8 cup organic red wine*
1 T. balsamic vinegar
1 T. fresh squeezed lemon juice
3 to 4 oz. Chevre (goat cheese)
1/3 jar (~6oz.) Parrot brand Chipolte Salsa
1/3 cup rehydrated dried tomatoes, chopped
1/4 cup fresh basil, finely chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
chopped parsley and chives for garnish

1. Caramelize the chopped onion and scallion (with salt) in olive oil using a large heavy skillet, stirring occasionally.
2. While the onions cook, boil a bit of water and rehydrate the dried tomatoes. I prefer dried cherry tomatoes since they don't require chopping. If you are using larger tomato slices, chop or cut them with kitchen scissors in the hot water.
3. When the onions have acquired a sweet, light brown color, turn the heat up to quite high as you add the sliced mushroom caps and some of the minced garlic. Stir and toss the shitakes with the onion/oil
   mixture. Cook for a couple of minutes then add the wine, vinegar and lemon juice, all the while stirring. When the shitakes are nearly cooked, add the rest of the garlic, salsa and rehydrated tomatoes. Heat until the sauce is fully warmed. Add the chopped basil. Taste and adjust the salt to your palette. Add freshly ground pepper.
4. Drain the cooked pasta and transfer it to a large serving dish. Dress with the Shitake salsa sauce, top with crumbled Chevre, finely chopped parsley, and chives.

*If you don't have or don't wish to use red wine, save the tomato soaking water and use it instead. It's full of flavor.

Some Quick Pasta Sauces:

Thinly julienne strips of red, green, and yellow bell peppers. Saute the peppers in olive oil, with garlic, salt, and pepper. Toss with cooked pasta and, if desired, finely grated cheese.

Thin some Kalamata Olive Spread with a flavorful extra virgin olive oil and toss with cooked pasta. Garnish with fresh chopped parsley or chives. (If you haven't discovered Kalamata Olive Spread yet, it can be found at the Co-op across the aisle from the yogurt. It's delightful, with many uses: it's tasty on bread, cooked grain, eggs, or vegetables.)

Saute finely chopped garlic over low heat in extra virgin olive oil. Be careful not to toast the garlic or it will turn bitter. Drain a 7 oz. can of diced green chiles; heat them with the garlic and toss the mixture with cooked pasta. Top with grated feta cheese and freshly chopped cilantro or parsley.

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