This is a lovely way to treat squash and feels quite different from some of the more familiar ways of serving this versatile autumn vegetable. Essentially, it gets roasted in the classic fashion, with sage, garlic and onions, and then, when it’s soft and caramalised it gets made into a velvety puree and stirred through pasta.
Enriched with grated parmesan and a touch of butter, it makes the most delicious sauce.
Serves 2-3 people
Ingredients
1kg of squash, such has onion or butternut
3 smallish onions
1 bulb of garlic
12 – 16 sage leaves
3 Tbls of olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
300 - 400g of rigatoni or your favourite pasta
150g of parmesan cheese
25g of butter
A little light oil for frying the sage leaves
Preheat the oven to 180.c fan
Method
Start by giving the squash a good scrub so they are nice and clean. Cut the squash in half and scoop out the seeds, these can go in the compost. Cut the squash halves into thin wedges and arrange them over a large roasting tray. Peel and quarter the onions and scatter these around the squash. Take half the sage leaves and slice them thinly and sprinkle over the squash and onions. Set the whole bulb of garlic down in the tray then trickle with the olive oil and season well with salt and pepper. Place the tray in the hot oven and roast for 35 - 45 minutes turning everything once or twice.
Meanwhile bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and add the pasta. Bring back to the simmer and cook, stirring once or twice until the pasta is cooked but still al dente. Drain the pasta reserving a bout 500ml of cooking water.
When the squash and onions are nice and tender and have a bit of colour, take the tray out of the oven and spoon into the jug of a blender, reserving a few whole wedges of squash to serve alongside the pasta. Cut the top off the garlic and squeeze in the soft puree. Add a ladleful or two of pasta water and whizz to a smooth puree. If you need to add a touch more pasta water, then do.
Stir the squash sauce through the pasta, adding a touch more pasta water, it wants to have a nice creamy consistency. Add the butter and a generous grating of parmesan or hard sheep’s cheese. Season the pasta to taste with plenty of salt and pepper.
Heat a little light oil in a small pan and when it’s hot drop in the sage leaves and sizzle them for a minute or so, or until they are nice and crispy. Drain the sage on kitchen paper.
Spoon the pasta into warm bowl and touch a wedge of squash down next to it. Scatter a few sage leaves over each plate and serve, with some extra cheese and a trickle of olive oil.
Recipe by Gill Meller
Videography by Matt Austin