winter squash and sage pasta sauce
Fall! Time to check out the leaves, bust out the gourds, and roast a shitload of winter squash. Not surprisingly, I am most committed to the squash part of these autumn rituals. When I have enough acorn, buttercup, carnival, etc. squash (and pumpkins) I simply cut them in half, fill up a baking sheet, roast them, then scoop out all the sweet orange flesh. Mashed squash then finds its way into soups, stews, breads, pancakes, pizzas, and pastas.
My first thought when I looked at this finished dish: baby food. And the first thing I noticed as I ate it was a marginally unappealing mushing sound (you know, wet-food-noise). Regardless, it’s a nice pasta for cold weather. A tip for meat-eaters: crumbled pancetta or bacon on top.
(serves 2-ish)
about 1 tablespoon olive oil and/or butter
1 large garlic clove, minced
4-5 sage leaves
about 1 cup winter squash puree
about 1 1/2 cups vegetable (or chicken) broth
salt and pepper
nutmeg (I have whole nutmeg that I grate fresh, and I’m never going back)
2 tablespoons heavy cream (or creme fraiche or half and half)
grated Parmesan cheese
about 6 oz dry pasta, cooked
Heat oil in a pan over medium heat. Add butter and let it melt. Add garlic and sage, stirring to keep garlic from burning. After a minute or so, add squash and heat through. Stir in broth 1/2 cup at a time. Thin it out to whatever consistency you like; you may need more or less than 1 1/2 cups. Season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Lower heat and bring to a simmer. Stir in cream. Add pasta to sauce and toss to coat. Add cheese.
