Gennaro says: “Parmigiana was originally a dish made with aubergines and came from southern Italy, namely Campania and Sicily, where aubergines grow in abundance. This layered baked dish has, over time, become a popular dish worldwide and has evolved to include other vegetables like courgettes, artichokes, Swiss chard and pumpkin. Whereas aubergines are abundant during the summer, pumpkin is plentiful during the colder season, especially in rural locations where this autumnal squash provided necessary nutrition for families and so was used in a variety of dishes. I like to coat the pumpkin slices in egg and fry them (as I do with all other vegetables when making Parmigiana). However, if you prefer a lighter version, you could grill or roast the pumpkin slices instead.

Serves 4–6

Ingredients

• 1 x 1.4kg (3lb 1oz) pumpkin (you need approx 1kg/2lb 4oz prepped weight)
• 3–4 eggs
• plain flour, for dusting
• abundant vegetable oil, for deep-frying
• 2 balls of mozzarella cheese (each about 125g/4½oz), drained and roughly chopped
• 75g (2¾ oz) grated parmesan cheese

For the tomato sauce:

• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 3 x 400g (14oz) cans chopped tomatoes
• 6 basil leaves
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

First make the tomato sauce. Heat the olive in a saucepan, add the onion and fry over a medium heat for about 5 minutes, then add the tomatoes, basil leaves and some salt to taste. Leave to simmer over a gentle heat for about 25 minutes until thickened.

In the meantime, peel the pumpkin, cut it in half, then into quarters, remove the seeds and then cut into slices about 5mm (¼in) thick. Lightly beat the eggs in a shallow dish with a little salt and pepper. Dust the pumpkin slices with flour, shaking off the excess, then dip into the beaten egg.

Heat plenty of vegetable oil in a deep frying pan until hot, then add the pumpkin slices (you may need to do this in batches, depending on the size of your pan) and deep-fry for a couple of minutes on each side. Remove using a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper to absorb the excess oil.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 180°C fan/200°C/gas mark 6. Line an ovenproof dish with a little of the tomato sauce, then place some pumpkin slices over the top, sprinkle with a little black pepper, dot around some mozzarella, sprinkle over some grated Parmesan and top with some more tomato sauce. Continue making layers like these until you have finished all the ingredients, ending with a final sprinkling of mozzarella and grated Parmesan.

Cover with foil and bake in the oven for 15 minutes. Remove the foil and continue to bake for a further 15 minutes until the cheese has melted and has taken on a golden brown colour.

Remove from the oven and leave to rest for about 10 minutes before serving.

From Gennaro’s Cucina: Hearty Money-Saving Meals from an Italian Kitchen by Gennaro Contaldo (£25, Pavilion Books), out now

Lucy says: “It was during the creation of this particular dish that I pondered my cheese-consumption levels. While this book is vegetarian and relies on a bounty of beautiful vegetables, I can’t and happily don’t claim that it’s light on anything really – flavour especially. As it turns out, the cheese ratio is very well balanced with all the lemon, garlic and fresh things. Of course you could omit the cheese, but then that is, perhaps, another story…”

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 800g (1lb 12oz) Kent pumpkin (squash), peeled and cut into 4cm (1½ inch) chunks
• 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
• 1 egg yolk
• ½ cup (50g) finely grated parmesan
• pinch of ground nutmeg
• fine salt and freshly ground black pepper, to season
• 1½ cups (220g) plain (all-purpose) flour
• 260g (9¼oz) tomato passata (puréed tomatoes)
• 2 tablespoons single (pure) cream
• 2 tablespoons white wine
• 40 sage leaves
• 150g (5½oz) blue cheese, coarsely chopped
• 150g (5½oz) mozzarella, coarsely chopped

For the salad:

• 2 teaspoons honey
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 2 small pears, thinly sliced
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 120g (4¼oz) rocket (arugula)
• sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Optional ingredients:

• parmy on the salad

Method

Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F) fan-forced.

Toss the chopped pumpkin with 2 tablespoons olive oil and place on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Bake for 40 minutes, until lightly browned on the edges and soft.

Mash the cooled pumpkin in a large mixing bowl. Add the egg yolk, parmy and nutmeg and stir with a fork until just combined. Season, then add 1 cup (150 g) of flour, gradually adding more and stirring until the dough is just not sticky. Don’t over-stir: you don’t want to activate the flour. The dough should remain soft.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead gently. Divide the dough into 6–8 balls, then roll each one into a 1.5 cm (⅝ inch) thick log. Cut each log into 1cm (½ inch) sections so you have little puffy pillow rectangles.*

Grease a tray with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and place it next to your stovetop, ready to catch the gnocchi. Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a rapid simmer.

Poach about 20 gnocchi at a time. Remove the gnocchi with a slotted spoon when they float to the top – around 1 minute – and place on the oiled tray.

In the base of a large baking dish, place 1 tablespoon olive oil, the passata, cream, white wine and half the sage leaves and mix together. Nestle the gnocchi in, then top with the remaining sage and cheeses.

Drizzle with olive oil and place in the oven until golden and bubbling, about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a salad bowl, combine the honey and red wine vinegar and toss the pear in the mixture until it’s coated. Just before serving, add the olive oil, rocket and parmesan. Season with S+P and toss well.

Note:

If you make more than you need, freeze the leftovers for another time. They’ll keep for a few months in an airtight container. Throw frozen gnocchi straight into boiling water and cook as above.

From Every Night of the Week Veg: Meat Free Beyond Monday; A Zero-tolerance Approach To Bland by Lucy Tweed (£18.99, Murdoch Books), out now

Katrina says: “This is game-changing salad. 1. Good on its own. 2. Good after a long gestation in the back of the fridge and 3. Marvellous served alongside all manner of grilled proteins. Given how time-poor we all are, I feel like this is the trifecta every salad must meet. To keep this vegan, you could replace the halloumi with a good cashew cheese. If you have a batch of Ultimate ranch dressing at the ready, simply sub that for the herb-blitzed yoghurt in this recipe. Both work a treat.”

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 600g (1 lb 5 oz) Japanese or Kent pumpkin (winter squash), deseeded and cut into
• large chunks
• 3 tablespoons maple syrup
• 4–6 tablespoons harissa 
• 175g (6 oz/1 cup) burghul (bulgur wheat)
• 375ml (12½ fl oz/1½ cups) vegetable stock
• 250g (9 oz/1 cup) Greek yoghurt
• ½ cup coarsely torn mint leaves
• ½ cup basil leaves
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3–4 slices haloumi

To serve:

• 1–2 tablespoons harissa per serve
• 3 tablespoons pepitas (pumpkin seeds) per serve

Method

Preheat the oven to 165 ̊C (330 ̊F).

Drizzle a little olive oil on a large flat baking tray, then place the pumpkin on the tray. Combine the remaining olive oil, maple syrup and harissa in a bowl, then smear the mixture all over the pumpkin, using your hands.

Season generously with salt and freshly ground black pepper, pop in the oven to roast until caramelised and cooked through. This can take between 25–40 minutes depending on the size of your pumpkin pieces.

Put the burghul in a bowl. Bring the stock to the boil, then pour it over the burghul until just covered. Set aside for 10 minutes for the stock to absorb and use a fork to stir a few times to fluff the grains. I always like to be a little generous with the stock as the absorption rate can vary between batches of burghul and there is nothing more frustrating than realising your stock has been completely absorbed by the burghul before it has finished softening. (You can reserve any leftover stock for another use.) Set aside to cool, then stir through the mint. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper.

Add the yoghurt, mint and basil to a blender and blitz to combine. Season with salt and pepper.

Place a small non-stick frying pan over medium heat and, once warm, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and the halloumi. Cook until lightly golden on one side, 1–2 minutes, then flip to cook the other side.

Smear the herb yoghurt across the base of a serving plate. Top with torn pieces of grilled halloumi and your pumpkin pieces. Scoop the burghul on top, then drizzle with the harissa. Scatter with pepitas, give another generous season with salt and pepper and serve.

From From Salt to Jam by Katrina Meynink (£22, Hardie Grant), out now