Roasted butternut pumpkin, burnt butter, sage
Could there be any greater union than sweet roasted pumpkin, nutty burnt butter and crisp
sage? You’re more likely to see this starring in ravioli or tortellini, but here I’ve skipped the
e¥ort of making a stu¥ed pasta and served it up as a pasta sauce. Roasted pumpkin is made
to puree, and when thinned out with the butter and pasta cooking water, the texture is much
like a rich and creamy carbonara.
Pumpkins are best eaten in season, when they are at their sweetest and most avoursome.
However, even in the height of autumn I’ve come across a bland and disappointing pumpkin.
If¬you £nd that your pumpkin still lacks punch after you’ve tossed it through the butter,
a¬sprinkle of brown sugar will help lift things.
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Serves 4
500–600 g butternut pumpkin
(about half a whole butternut),
peeled and deseeded
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
sea salt and freshly ground
black pepper
½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
125 ml (½ cup) vegetable or
chicken stock or water
75 g salted butter
handful of sage leaves
2 tablespoons capers, rinsed,
drained and patted dry
handful of grated Parmigiano
Reggiano, plus extra to serve
FRESH PASTA FOR 4
farfalle, garganelli
DRIED PASTA FOR 4
conchiglie (shells),
farfalle, penne
Preheat the oven to 180°C fan-forced.
Roughly chop the pumpkin into 5 cm pieces. Rub the esh
with the olive oil. Season with salt and the nutmeg and roast
for 45–60 minutes, or until very soft and starting to colour.
Blitz the pumpkin in a food processor or blender with the stock
or water for 1–2 minutes until it has reached a smooth and loose
consistency. Set aside.
Place a deep frying pan over medium–low heat. Add the butter
to the pan and swirl for 4–5 minutes, or until it starts to turn
agolden brown and gives o a nutty aroma. It will get very
foamy and start to leave little brown ecks. Add the sage and
capers and fry for 2–3 minutes, until crisp. Remove the sage
and capers with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towel.
Reduce the heat to low. If things are getting too dark, you can
add a tablespoon of the water on the boil for the pasta to slow
down the cooking. Add the pumpkin puree to your burnt butter
and give everything a whisk to incorporate.
Meanwhile, bring a large saucepan of water to a lively boil and
season as salty as the sea. Add the pasta and cook until al dente.
Drain, reserving 250 ml (1 cup) of the cooking water.
Add the pasta to the pumpkin puree, along with 60 ml (¼ cup)
of the pasta cooking water. Toss around to coat the pasta. Add
the Parmigiano Reggiano and more cooking water if you feel the
sauce needs it.
Serve the pasta with the sage and capers scattered over the top,
a grind of black pepper and extra grated Parmigiano Reggiano.