Roasted potimarron with pasta and pecorino mousse

The following simple but tasty recipe is inspired by a TV show on the French morning TV, Télématin. Their TV journalist visited the Negresco Hotel in Nice where the cheffe Virginie Basselot cooked her recipe. Since 2018, Virginie Basselot has been at the helm of the Negresco’s restaurants. 

My recipe is a twist of Virginie Basselot’s more refined recipe which she said was made for tout le monde, everybody. 

2 servings

Whole wheat pasta such as fusilli, penne, farfalle

½ potimarron

Olive oil

For the mousse:

1 small shallot, minced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tbsp. olive oil

150 ml white wine

A generous handful of grated pecorino

3  tbsp. crème fraiche, 15 % fat

Freshly ground black pepper

Fresh herbs to decorate

Preheat the oven to 200° C roast.

Clean and slice the potimarron half. Place the slices in an oiled oven-proof dish and brush with olive oil. Roast for 25- 35 minutes until soft. Remove  from the oven and cut away the skin. Set aside until needed.

Meanwhile cook the pasta as advised on the package. 

For the mousse, sauté the shallot and garlic for about 10 minutes over medium-low heat. Add the white wine and increase the heat to medium-high. Cook until the wine has reduced by about a third. Whisk in the pecorino, crème fraiche, and some black pepper.

Drain the pasta and divide on the plates. Dot with the pecorino mousse and divide the potimarron slices on top. Decorate with some chopped fresh herbs.