Recipe for a Chilly November in Umbria: Winter Squash/Ricotta Pasta

Thanksgiving is around the corner and winter squash will enhance many a “Turkey Day” feast. Here in Umbria, too, winter squash stars in many a dish from antipasti to gnocchi to soups to pasta dishes.
Today for lunch we enjoyed winter squash/ricotta pasta.

So tasty and quick and easy to make: why not enjoy this primo piatto before your Thanksgiving turkey this year?
Here’s how to cook it up:

Ingredients (for 4-6 persons)

penne pasta (use 1 lb for every 5 persons)
a pound or more of winter squash, diced into small pieces
a branch of fresh rosemary
1/2 leek
Parmesan cheese (q.b., ie, “quanto basta” or “as much as you need”)
extra virgin olive oil, q. b. (Note: accept NO substitutes for extra virgin olive oil – and if possible, use cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil….from Umbria!)
salt, pepper q. b
diced prosciutto, a slice
fresh ricotta, about 1-1/2 c

Dice winter squash.

Put pasta water on to boil. Cut and then wash leek. Chop into small pieces:

Cover saucepan with extra-virign olive oil and simmer leeks in olive oil, until golden.

Add diced prosciutto to leeks and simmer after adding a ladleful of boiling water.

Add diced squash to simmering leeks and diced prosciutto:

Add branch of fresh rosemary and salt as needed and continue simmering:

Simmer cover on low heat about 20-30 minutes. Remove rosemary branch. Add ladleful of boiling water as needed to mixture so that it will become creamy:

Remove squash mixture from heat and put in mixing bowl:

Add fresh ricotta and black pepper and mix:

Put squash, ricotta mixture on stove and simmer on very low heat as you cook the penne pasta in abundant salted boiling water. Drain pasta when al dente.
Stir in hot squash/ricotta mixture: