With the arrival of cold weather, we tend to cook more spoon dishes; But there’s still room for fresh pastas, salads and desserts with seasonal ingredients.
The fig is particularly suitable for people of growing age, while the dried fig is especially suitable for all those who have high energy requirements, such as those who perform physical work or athletes, and also for intellectual efforts.
Overall, everyone can benefit from this delicious fruit because of its good nutritional characteristics. It helps with good cardiovascular health, weight control, regularization of intestinal transit – especially if you regularly suffer from constipation – smokers and those who suffer from stress, due to its ability to protect the body and its beneficial antioxidant action.
But, in addition to all these properties, its exquisite flavour deserves to be enjoyed as the protagonist: and that is the role it plays in the salad we propose.
Pumpkin is one of those exceptional foods that has not yet been given due justice. It’s digestive, delicious, attractive-looking, and packed with substances with very beneficial effects on health, such as beta-carotene and vitamins E. These merits justify frequent use, with different preparations, in autumn and winter.
Apart from delicious creams, there are many dishes that we can cook with pumpkin: on this occasion we bring you a pasta cooked with leeks and pumpkin.
Finally, we close with a dessert that includes the nutrients and colors that we most associate with autumn, thanks to persimmon.
In addition to nourishing and giving energy, this fruit helps to lead a healthier diet. Thanks to its beta-carotene, it enriches low-fat diets; It also provides zeaxanthin, a carotenoid that protects against macular degeneration, and many other phytonutrients, with an effective antioxidant effect.
This fruit is not part of our gastronomic tradition, but its striking color, its particular texture and its resounding flavor offer many possibilities.
In addition to its use to decorate creams, it pairs well with nuts and is an ideal ingredient to add sweetness to salads. However, it is in the realm of pastry where the possibilities of persimmon are endless: covering puff pastries, filling cakes, in jams and jellies… To close this menu, we suggest a mixture of persimmon and kefir.
FIG AND VEGAN CHEESE SALAD
Ingredients for 4 people:
- 8 ripe figs or figs
- 500 g fresh vegan cheese
- ground rosemary
- Ground oregano
- a few mints leaves
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- black pepper and salt
Preparation (15′):
- Wash the figs well and let them drain. The cheese is cut into pieces or slices, and the figs, once drained, into vertical or crosswise slices.
- Spread the cheese on the platter and place the fruit on top.
- Season everything with virgin olive oil, rosemary, a little oregano and salt and black pepper to taste. The mint leaves are arranged at the end for decoration.
Variants
This salad turns out delicious with pine nuts and black olives.
As an optional touch, for a pleasant bitter counterpoint, it can be served on a bed of arugula or watercress.
The salt can be swapped out for some soy sauce.
Nutritional Information:
- Calories: 458
- Carbohydrates: 6 g
- Protein: 27 g
- Fat: 36 g
- Cholesterol: 111 mg
AUTUMN PASTA WITH LEEKS AND PUMPKIN
Ingredients for 4 people:
- 200 g pre-cooked short pasta or spring wheat
- 30 ml virgin olive oil
- 200 g leeks, sliced
- 400 g diced pumpkin
- 1 or 2 sprigs of fresh basil
- 50 g grated vegan cheese
- nutmeg
- pepper and salt
Preparation (10’+15′ cooking)
- Boil the pasta al dente, season with salt, pepper and nutmeg, and set aside.
- In a casserole, sauté the leek without taking on color and halfway through cooking add the pumpkin, which is sautéed until well cooked. Season with salt and pepper and mix with the pasta.
- Season with finely chopped basil leaves and sprinkle with grated cheese.
Variants:
If desired, the cheese can be lightly gratinized.
If grated almonds are used instead of cheese, the pasta is also very tasty.
Other aromatic plants can be used.
Nutritional Information:
- Calories: 299
- Carbohydrates: 34 g
- Protein: 11 g
- Fat: 13 g
- Cholesterol: 49 mg
AUTUMN PASTA WITH LEEKS AND PUMPKIN
Ingredients for 4 people:
- 200 g pre-cooked short pasta or spring wheat
- 30 ml virgin olive oil
- 200 g leeks, sliced
- 400 g diced pumpkin
- 1 or 2 sprigs of fresh basil
- 50 g grated vegan cheese
- nutmeg
- pepper and salt
Preparation (10’+15′ cooking)
- Boil the pasta al dente, season with salt, pepper and nutmeg, and set aside.
- In a casserole, sauté the leek without taking on color and halfway through cooking add the pumpkin, which is sautéed until well cooked. Season with salt and pepper and mix with the pasta.
- Season with finely chopped basil leaves and sprinkle with grated cheese.
Variants:
If desired, the cheese can be lightly gratinized.
If grated almonds are used instead of cheese, the pasta is also very tasty.
Other aromatic plants can be used.
Nutritional Information:
- Calories: 299
- Carbohydrates: 34 g
- Protein: 11 g
- Fat: 13 g
- Cholesterol: 49 mg
