I have a thing about cookbooks. Mainly it consists of me wanting to hoard them and read them (well, only the good ones!) page by page, turning down corners and marking the recipes I want to make some day. I have inherited this habit/trait from my mom, who I know gets just as much pleasure from reading cookbooks as I do. I was recently sent a copy of the new The Silver Spoon: Pasta cookbook and my heart did a little happy hop skip. For me, Italian food is my go-to comfort food (I even brought a case of sauce from my local Italian mom and pop shop with me when I moved out to Iowa) and while I haven't made any of the dishes out of this book yet, this recipe is going to be one of the first I make**. Elbow Macaroni with Pumpkin and Radicchio Gomiti con Zuccha e Radicchio from THE SILVER SPOON PASTA, $39.95, 2009 Phaidon Press Ltd www.phaidon.com Preparation time: 30 minutes Cooking time: 30 minutes Serves 4 2 tbsp olive oil 1 small onion, chopped 11 oz pumpkin or butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into strips 2/3 c lukewarm water 1 head of Treviso or Chioggia radicchio, cut into thin strips 1 bunch of finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley 12 oz ridged elbow macaroni salt and pepper 1. Heat the oil in a shallow pan. Add the onion and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Increase the heat to medium, add the pumpkin, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes until evenly browned. 2. Add the lukewarm water, season with salt and pepper, cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Stir in the radicchio and three-quarters of the parsley and cook for another 5 minutes. 3. Cook the pasta in plenty of salted boiling water until al dente. Drain, tip into a warmed serving dish, and pour the sauce over. Sprinkle with the remaining parsley and serve immediately. **I will totally be topping this with parmesan or pecorino cheese.

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