a whole lot of pumpkin pasta

It's been getting cold and it's been getting rainy, and last week I went to the Caterpillar's Dream and had a very disappointing lasagna, and I wanted to do something exciting with my pasta. I remembered that Cate had issued a challenge: Sweet Spices, Savoury Suppers, and I realised this would be a perfect opportunity to try making a pumpkin sauce and throwing everything in the house into it. 

you will need:
1kgish of pumpkin
1 shallot (sliced thin)
some minced garlic
half a zucchini, grated
100g firm tofu
1 cup soy or almond milk
half cup stock
olive oil
small head of broccoli
handful of nuts (i used pecans)
some baby spinach
1 tsp nutmeg, 1 tsp sage (or more if it takes your fancy) (you could also add a shake or two of cinnamon)
soy sauce
whole lot of salt and pepper
long pasta for four people

what you do:
boil and mash the pumpkin. puree/mash it with the stock and the soy milk until it's all lovely and smooth. add in the minced garlic.

during the pumpkin prep stage, put the pasta on to boil. when it's almost done to your satisfaction, add the broccoli florets and let them boil a little. drain, rinse with cold water, and put it all aside.

dice the tofu, marinate in some soy sauce, and then fry until it's all lovely and crispy. put this aside.

in a little oil, fry the shallot until golden, then add the zucchini and fry for about five minutes. add in the pumpkin mixture, and let it simmer for a while. add the nutmeg and the sage, and as much salt and pepper as you like (i stood there cracking pepper and salt for a while so i'm not sure how long - taste it, but remember you'll also be adding tofu that was marinated in soy sauce). when you're happy with it, stir the baby spinach through, and then combine with the tofu, pasta and broccoli. top with nuts and serve. (i shallow fried and chopped the nuts but raw is fine too)

If you haven't previously checked out Cate's blog, I recommend it - it's not vego but she does lots of great cooking for various dietary requirements, and I have personally had the pleasure of eating all sorts of her delicious creations.