Main dishes
Pumpkin and Anchovy Mille-feuille
Oct
Pumpkin and Anchovy Mille-feuille – Pumpkin has become a key ingredient in many modern recipes, expanding beyond classic soups, stews, and gnocchi. Its versatility makes it perfect for simple and appetizing preparations. Among the various types—around 500 in total—today we’ll focus on the Muscat variety, ideal for our recipe due to its orange skin and firm, flavorful flesh.
To choose a quality pumpkin, ensure the stem is dry and that tapping it produces a hollow sound. The pumpkin should be harvested mature and allowed to rest for about two weeks. I recommend salting towards the end of cooking, using coarse salt, especially when pan-frying or roasting.
Ingredients
- 300 g of Muscat pumpkin flesh
- 300 g of cleaned anchovies
- 1 red onion
- 1 bunch of basil
- 4 tablespoons of white wine
- 2 tablespoons of white wine vinegar
- 8 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
Place the anchovies on a heated plate over a pot of boiling water, cover, and cook for one minute. Carefully remove the plate, and season the anchovies with 4 tablespoons of oil, torn basil, salt, and pepper. Let them marinate for 30 minutes.
Slice the pumpkin thinly. Peel and thinly slice the onion, then sauté it in a pan with the remaining oil. Add the pumpkin slices, vinegar, wine, salt, and pepper, and let simmer covered for 10 minutes or until the pumpkin is tender yet firm. Layer the pumpkin, onion, and anchovies on plates.
And what to drink with it?
To balance the sweet and savory flavors of the Pumpkin and Anchovy Mille-feuille, I recommend a fresh Pinot Grigio. A mineral sparkling wine, avoiding overly sweet sparkling options, can also beautifully accompany this dish.
Until next time!
