Nusät is the singular name of a traditional pumpkin pie from Oltrepò Pavese. It is a not very well-known preparation that was once brought to the table during the Evening of the Seven Dinners, a tradition on the eve of Christmas, the dinner consisted of seven courses, to recall the seven deadly sins, the days of creation and the hours of light in winter, and mixed cuisine, religion and ritual.
In the dishes, there were products of the land and of the farmers' work, such as pumpkin , but also onions, beets, pears, chestnuts, cooked in a simple but substantial way. Nusät, in particular, is prepared by mixing pumpkin pulp with eggs, parmesan, breadcrumbs, salt, pepper and nutmeg and baking the cake in the oven.
Prep Time: 20 mins ♥ Cook Time: 50 mins ♥ Total Time: 1 hr 10 mins ♥ Yield: 5 servings
Ingredients
1 pumpkin
2 eggs
1 tbsp butter
4 tbsp oil
1 tsp ginger paste
1 cup wheat flour
1 cup sugar
1tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
2 tbsp walnuts
1 tbsp cream
1 tsp vanilla essence
Salt to taste
Recipe Method
In a bowl mix eggs and half of the sugar. Add the oil, flour, butter, cinnamon, vanilla extract, baking powder, pumpkin and the chopped walnuts and a pinch of salt then whisk together until the mixture is of sandy and powdery consistency, until you obtain a soft and compact dough. Now form a ball, wrap with plastic wrap and put it to rest in the refrigerator for at least half an hour.
Peel the pumpkin seeds and cut the pumpkin into cubes and cook for 20 minutes, with a pinch of salt and without adding water, over low heat. Or you may put it to cook in a preheated oven at 200 degrees C, covered with aluminium foil, for 45 minutes, or until softened.
When the pumpkin is cooked, shake it, transfer the squash in a bowl and mash well with a spoon or a fork, add the remaining sugar, fresh cream, nutmeg, and a little fresh grated ginger. Mix well, then transfer the cream in a saucepan and let it thicken on low heat for about 5-10 minutes, stirring frequently and put it aside to cool.
Remove the pastry from the refrigerator, transfer on floured surface and roll it out with the help of a rolling pin, to obtain a layer thickness of about 5 mm then roll it out into a mould of 20 cm, buttered and floured. Prick the bottom of the pastry with the tines of a fork then pour the cream of pumpkin.
Pour the cake into a baking pan with a diameter of 20 cm lined with baking paper.
Bake in preheated oven at 180 ° C ventilated for about 40 minutes. Do the toothpick test!
Let the cake cool before cutting into cubes.
The pumpkin pie will keep good for 2-3 days, under a bell jar or in a covered container with plastic wrap.
