Sometimes the simplest dishes are the most rewarding. Sweet, nutty roasted squash is blended with créme fraîche, Parmesan and a touch of nutmeg to create a silky sauce, finished with crispy sage leaves that bring an earthy, buttery crunch.
Extracted from Seed Magazine Volume 05.
Serves 2
Preheat the oven to 200ºC/180ºC fan.
Put the wedges of squash and onion into a roasting tray. Drizzle over the olive oil, season with salt and pepper and toss to ensure all pieces are coated. Roast for 35 minutes.
After 35 minutes, remove the tray from the oven and turn the pieces of squash. Gently bash the garlic cloves using the side of your knife to break them slightly, then add them to the tray with the chopped sage and return to the middle of the oven for another 15 minutes, or until the vegetables are golden and soft. At this point, remove the tray from the oven and leave t cool slightly.
Add all the roasted veg from the tray to a blender along with the vegetable stock and blitz until smooth.
Transfer the purée to a large saucepan along with the nutmeg, crème fraîche of yoghurt and Parmesan. Heat through over a medium heat, stirring to combine. Check the seasoning and adjust to taste with salt, pepper and lemon juice if you like.
To make the crispy sage leaves, heat the vegetable oil in a small frying pan over a medium-high heat. Once hot, add the whole sage leaves and fry for one minutes, then flip them over and fry for a minute more until crispy. Remove the leaves from the pan and lay them on kitchen paper to soak up any excess oil.
Meanwhile, bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil. Cook the pasta according to the instructions on the pack. Once al dente, use tongs to transfer the pasta directly into the pan with the squash sauce, reserving the cooking water. Stir thoroughly, ensuring every stand of pasta is coated with the sauce. Add extra pasta water to loosen the sauce if needed.
To serve, divide the pasta between two dishes and top with a little extra grated Parmesan and the crispy sage leaves.
Photography for recipe by Susan Bell, with food and prop styling by Frankie Unsworth.
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