Long ribbons of pappardelle work beautifully in this lovely, warming autumnal dish, but smaller pasta shapes like fusilli, orecchiette or penne are good too.
Serves 4
About 750g squash, such as Crown Prince, butternut or kabocha
4–6 fat garlic cloves (unpeeled), lightly bashed
4 tablespoons rapeseed or olive oil
250g pappardelle, tagliatelle or pasta shapes of your choice
50g unsalted butter
About 15–20 sage leaves, cut into thin ribbons
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Finely grated Parmesan or hard goat’s cheese, to serve
Preheat the oven to 190oC/Gas 5. Peel and deseed the squash and cut into 2–3cm cubes. Put it into a roasting tin and add the garlic and some salt and pepper. Trickle over the oil and toss together. Roast for about 45 minutes, stirring once or twice during cooking, until the squash is completely soft and starting to caramelise at the edges.
When the squash is halfway through cooking, bring a large pan of water to the boil and salt it well. Add the pasta and cook for the time suggested on the packet until al dente.
While the pasta is cooking, heat the butter very gently in a small pan until foaming. Add the sage and cook gently over a low heat, without letting the butter brown, for about 3 minutes, then take off the heat.
When the pasta is cooked, drain it well and return to the pan. Tip the hot, roasted squash, along with any pan juices and the garlic cloves if they’re not too burnt, into the pasta. Add the sage butter and toss the lot together, adding more salt and pepper if needed.
Divide between warm plates and add a grinding of pepper and a scattering of grated cheese. Serve at once, with extra Parmesan or other hard cheese on the table for people to help themselves.
PLUS ONE Toasted pine nuts or roughly chopped walnuts will add texture and flavour. Toss them into the pan of roasting squash for the last 10 minutes.