Pumpkin Alfredo Penne with Chicken

Drew's Mom goes to bed while R&D head out to cover a theatre opening. It is a late night and they are all up at 5am in order to get Drew's Mom to her flight on time. After seeing her off (and a brief nap) R&D are famished. Raul contemplates the contents of the fridge and tries to ascertain what they feel like eating. Something that provides energy for sure. "How about an alfredo pasta?" suggests Raul.

"Sounds delicious," pipes up Drew who is completely distracted by the computer screen as he works on the theatre review. "With pulled pork?"

"No," says Raul. "Too spicy and we're too sleepy. But I have an idea . . ."

He mixes two tablespoons of flour and two tablespoons of butter in an enamel lined cast iron saucepan and cooks them into a roux. He adds a cup of hot milk, whisking constantly, to make a bechamel sauce. Salt and pepper are added and then he stirs in four tablespoons of grated Parmesan cheese. He brings the bechamel to a boil to thicken before adding a cup of mashed pumpkin (left over from last night's dinner). For colour and vitamins he adds a half cup of frozen peas and slices of last night's leftover bbq'ed chicken. The resulting concoction is mixed with cooked penne pasta and sprinkled with more Parmesan. 

"This is amazing," enthuses Drew. "Classico Alfredo with pumpkin? It's such a unique and subtle flavour, just what I needed when suffering from a lack of sleep but have to concentrate."

"Oh it's just a basic bechamel sauce whipped up from scratch," beams Raul. He must remember to break a sweat next time.