Since I think my coconut pumpkin soup recipe inspired at least one person to go out and buy pumpkin seed oil (hi mom!), I figured I’d offer a few more suggestions for how to use it.
As I previously noted, I picked up my bottle in Austria, where, so far as I can tell, it’s used primarily in pumpkin soup, which there is much more straightforward than my version (pumpkin, and not much else). The oil itself is very dark, and has a distinctive brownish green tint. I’ve found its light nutty taste adds a nice touch to salads — I’ve been making a dressing out of equal parts pumpkin seed oil and pomegranate syrup, which is sweet and tangy (plus salt to taste). Furthermore, it compliments pine nuts very well, as it has a similar kind of taste.
This pasta dish came out mild but rich, thanks to the coating of ricotta and oil. As with most of my quantities, by no means do the herbs need to be precisely measured — I used what I could safely harvest from my garden, without overstressing the plants. Also, ricotta in Israel is significantly dryer than the version sold in the United States. You don’t want the cheese to be too wet. Mine was soft but not soupy, and stuck nicely to the noodles.
250 grams egg pappardelle or fettuccini
6 T pumpkin seed oil
200 grams ricotta cheese
1/4 c small capers
1/4 c pine nuts
12 branches thyme
4 branches oregano
2 branches sage
salt to taste
Cook the pasta based on the instructions on the packaging. Toss with the cheese and oil, mix in the pine nuts and capers, and top with the herbs (remove the leaves from the stems, and rip some of the larger leaves). That’s it!
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