**Pumpkin Peanut Curry Noodles**

Recipe taken and modified from foodnetwork.com

Ingredients

• 1 pound spaghetti
• Salt
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil or peanut oil
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 2 inches ginger root, minced or grated (I used about 1/8 – 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger)
• 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced (tiny tiny pieces would have been much preferred)
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (I used a 1/4 teaspoon, just)
• 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1/4 to 1/3 cup tamari dark soy sauce (Regular soy is what we have. I used less than 1/4, and added about 1 teaspoon of sugar to cut the terrible saltiness that resulted. Sugar worked perfectly, did not taste sweet, just mellower)
• 1 (15-ounce) can cooked pumpkin
• 2 rounded tablespoonfuls mild or hot curry paste (I used 1.5 tablespoons, not ’rounded’)

Heat a large pot of water for noodles.
When water boils, salt it and add pasta to cook to al dente or with a bite to it.

While pasta cooks, heat a large, deep skillet over medium heat with 2 tablespoons vegetable or peanut oil.
Add garlic, ginger, red bell pepper, and pepper flakes to the pan and cook together a couple of minutes, then add peanut butter and melt it.
Whisk soy into peanut butter, then stir in pumpkin and curry paste.
The sauce will be very thick.
Turn down the heat to low.
Add a ladle or 2 of pasta cooking water to thin sauce a bit and simmer over low heat.
Adjust salt, to taste. (We didn’t need salt, plenty in the soy sauce I think. Added some black pepper, which was a lovely addition.)

Drain pasta and return pasta to the pot.
Add the curry-pumpkin sauce and toss thoroughly.

Our modified spice level was perfect – not overly hot but just a spiciness that wouldn’t leave. The overall flavour was very overpowering when we made it, but as leftovers it was FANTASTICALLY DELICIOUSLY AMAZING. Even better with a bit of roast chicken ripped up on it. Mmm…