Roasted butternut pumpkin, burnt butter, sage pasta

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 effort of making a stuffed 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 flavoursome. However, even in the height of autumn I’ve come across a bland and disappointing pumpkin. If you find that your pumpkin still lacks punch after you’ve tossed it through the butter, a sprinkle of brown sugar will help lift things.

Serves 4 

Ingredients

500–600g 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 

125ml (½ cup) vegetable or chicken stock or water 

75g 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 

Method

Preheat the oven to 180C fan-forced. Roughly chop the pumpkin into 5 cm pieces. Rub the flesh 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 a golden brown and gives off a nutty aroma. It will get very foamy and start to leave little brown flecks. 

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 250ml (1 cup) of the cooking water. 

Add the pasta to the pumpkin puree, along with 60ml (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.

This is an extract from Saturday Night Pasta by Elizabeth Hewson with photography by Nikki To ((Plum, $36.99).