This recipe is easiest with hokkaido pumpkins, which are a tad less juicy than regular pumpkins. Hokkaido pumpkins have a reddish or dark green skin while pumpkin are more orangy, and tend to bulge out where the stem meets the flesh:

With “regular” pumpkin the recipe works very well too on the condition that you draw out its juice properly. I will be giving you all the tricks to do this below, so don’t worry!

Preheat the oven to 200°C (390°F). Wash the pumpkin and cut it in halves using a large and sturdy knife. Discard the stem and all seeds with the help of a tablespoon. Cut each half into 1 inch slices and scatter them on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Sprinkle with a bit of sea salt and roast in the oven for about 40 minutes or until soft.

Allow the slices to rest until they are cool enough to handle then scoop their flesh out, transferring it to a meshed thieve. Gently press the flesh with the palm of your hands to draw its juice out. Mix the flesh and press again to draw out more juice, then repeat one last time if the flesh still feels juicy. Transfer the flesh to a bowl and blend it with a stick blender (or in a stand blender). If you don’t have a blender, use a masher instead.

Take 400g of the puree and mix it with the nutmeg, a bit of salt, flour and then the egg. Work the mixture well until it forms a soft and sticky dough. Resist the urge to add more flour at this point otherwise the gnocchi will become too chewy and their taste will suffer.

Allow the dough to cool down completely, it will become easier to handle. At this stage, it should be sticky and of the consistency of soft putty. If the dough is still too purée-like and you are unable to give it any lasting shape, don’t panick! Just do this most horribly un-cheffy rescue operation (here go all my chances to be taken seriously): transfer the puree to a non-stick frying pan and cook it over low heat, stirring constantly with a spatula and scraping the cooked bottom back into the dough. Lumps WILL form but don’t worry, these will all but disappear as the dough cools down and you roll the gnocchi. Do this for 4-5 minutes then set aside until cold. Don’t lose hope at the still very soft texture of the hot mixture. As it cools down, it will thicken.

Flour liberally a flat work surface and place a generous tablespoon of the dough onto it. Shape it into a finger-thick roll with the palm of your hands and cut it into pieces 2cm long. Mark the top of each gnoccho with the back of a fork to give it its distinctive shape, and set aside on a tray lined with paper towels. Add more flour to your work surface before dropping another tablespoon of dough.

Prepare the dish (10 min):

Peel the chorizo and cut it into ½ cm thick slices. Toss the slices into a non-stick frying pan (don’t add oil) and sauté over medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes, until lightly browned. Transfer the slice to a plate and set aside. Add the onion slices to the pan and sauté until soft and translucent. Mix the chorizo back with the onions and keep in the pan, ready for last minute reheating if needed at the time of plating.

Prepare the goat’s cream cream: Crush the goats cheese with a fork and mix it. If it feels too dry and crumbly, soften it for a few seconds in the microwave. Mix with the cream and chiseled sage and set aside.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil, add a generous pinch of salt and reduce the heat until the water bubbles lightly. Add the gnocchi in batches and cook until they start floating on top. Depending on their size this may take between 2 and 5 minutes. Take out the gnocchi with a skimmer as they rise to the surface and store them on a warm, oiled plate – pouring them through a pasta strainer could easily damage them.

Prepare the plate:

Arrange the gnocchis at the centre of each plate, place the chorizo and onion mix on top , then drop a dollop of goat’s cheese cream. If you want to add a wow factor, finish with a whole fried sage leaf and a few fried leaf crumbs sprinkled all over the dish.

The plus: fried sage leaves (can be done up to a day before using):

Pour 1 cm sunflower or other frying oil into a small saucepan. Heat it up over medium heat until the oil starts smoking. Reduce the heat and fry the leaves two at a time. Take out as soon as bubbles stop forming around them and set aside on a plate lined with paper towels. When finished, season with sea salt flakes and store between paper towels in an airtight container.

Heat 1-1/2 tablespoons olive oil in a large wok or non-stick frying pan. When the oil is hot, add the vegetables. Cook over medium-high heat for 2 minutes, stirring regularly.

Add the soy sauce, fish sauce, lower the heat and cook, covered, for another 4 minutes.

Uncover, scrape any sticky bits at the bottom and stir in the garlic and noodles. Cook for another minute or so to heat up the noodles and take off the heat.

Stir in the coriander and one tablespoon olive oil and serve immediately.

Cut the broccoli into small florets and steam for 7-8 minutes, until crisp tender.

Cook the pasta according to packet instructions in salted water with a dash of olive oil.

If using fresh bread slices, toast them. Dice the bread into small cubes and shred the bacon slices. Mix both with the garlic, olive oil and herbs. Spread on a piece of greaseproof paper and broil under the grill for 8-9 minutes, mixing half-way through, until the mix is nicely browned.

When the pasta is ready, drizzle it generously with olive oil and adjust the seasoning. Mix with the broccoli and top with the crumbs, and serve with parmsesan flakes on the side.

Cook the polenta according to packet instructions. Typically for a creamy polenta, bring to the boil 500 mL water with sea salt. Once the water is boiling, reduce the heat to a low simmer. Whisking the water constantly, pour the dry polenta in a thin stream into the water. Keep stirring during the entire cooking time required by the instructions (about one minute for instant polenta) to prevent lumps from forming.

When ready, stir in two thirds of the parmesan and all the mascarpone. Add a bit of warm water to soften the polenta further if needed, then stir in delicately two thirds of the salsa.

Serve the polenta in large bowls with a spoonful of the remaining salsa on top and parmesan flakes. Enjoy immediately.

Crush the anchovies and garlic into a paste. Mix the paste with the olive oil and lemon juice, and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Stir the oil and lemon dressing  into the pasta and add the olives, cherry tomatoes, rosette, rocket and basil.

Mix well and serve topped with parmesan flakes.

Melt half the butter and 1 tablespoon oil in a large frying pan and add the leeks. Reduce the heat to a minimum and soften for 3-4 minutes. Add the crumbled chicken stock half-cube, 15 cL hot water, pepper generously and simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes or until most of the juices have been absorbed and the leeks are meltingly tender.

Meanwhile, grate the cheddar using the larger holes of your grater and cook the pasta al dente according to packet instructions.

In a serving bowl, add the oil and the remaining butter chopped into small pieces. Drain the pasta and toss them into the bowl. Add the leeks and half the cheese and mix well. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top and serve immediately.

Heat the oil in a large frying pan; add the drained shrimps (reserve any juice), garlic, oregano , chili if using, salt and pepper and fry on medium-high heat for 2 minutes. Scoop the shrimps out and stir in the tomatoes, vermouth, and shrimp juice if you have any, scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the cream and briskly simmer for about 1 minute. Take off the heat and stir in the lemon juice, 2/3 of the spring onions, and the shrimps.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta in the boiling water. When the pasta is ready, serve it immediately topped with the sauce or toss the pasta into the pan and mix it well with the sauce. Serve topped with the remaining spring onions.

Cook the pasta in lightly salted water with a dash of olive oil.

Flake the mackerel, remove the skin if you bought it whole.

Cut the olives in half.

When the pasta is ready, drain and toss back into the saucepan with the artichoke cream, mackerel, olives and pepper. Add salt if needed and heat for 2-3 minutes to warm up all ingredients. Serve immediately with freshly grated parmesan.

Gently wipe the mushrooms with a humid kitchen towel. Do not soak them in water as they will become all soggy.

Dry the mushrooms and separate the feet from the caps. Slice the feet, discarding the bottom part and cut the larger caps in half. Cut the caps into thick slices.

Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large frying pan and sauté the mushrooms for 5-7 minutes, until soft and tender. Add the chopped parsley, lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper and cook for another 30 seconds.

Mix with the pasta, parmesan and another two tablespoons of olive oil and serve immediately.

Wash and quarter the cherry tomatoes.

Dilute the tapenade into the oil, add 50 g parmesan, a good grinding of pepper and mix well.

Shred the chicken into bite size strips.

When the pasta is ready, drain and return to the saucepan on low heat. Mix with the tapenade sauce, tomatoes, chicken and fresh thyme leaves. Warm up for a few minutes and transfer to a large serving bowl.

Serve immediately with a bowl of parmesan on the side.