Serves 2 - 3
Ingredients
- 1kg squash, such as , crown prince, onion squash or butternut
- 3 smallish onions
- 1 bulb of garlic
- 12–16 sage leaves
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 300–400g rigatoni or your favourite pasta
- 150g Parmesan or hard sheep's cheese, grated
- 25g butter
- A little light oil, for frying the sage leaves
Method
Start by giving the squash a good scrub so it's nice and clean. Cut it in half and scoop out the seeds, which 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, slice them thinly and sprinkle over the squash and onions. Set the whole bulb of garlic in the tray, then trickle over 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, until the squash is tender and beginning to caramelise.
Meanwhile, bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and add the pasta. Bring back to the boil and cook, stirring once or twice, until the pasta is al dente. Drain, reserving about 500ml of the cooking water.
When the squash and onions are tender and have taken on a little colour, remove the tray from the oven. Reserve a few whole wedges of squash to serve alongside the pasta, then spoon the remaining squash and onions into the jug of a blender. Cut the top off the roasted garlic bulb and squeeze the soft cloves into the blender. Add a ladleful or two of pasta water and whizz to a smooth, velvety purée. Add a little more pasta water if necessary.
Stir the squash sauce through the pasta, adding a little more pasta water as needed to give it a lovely creamy consistency. Add the butter and a generous handful of the grated Parmesan or hard sheep's cheese. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Heat a little light oil in a small frying pan and, when it's hot, drop in the remaining whole sage leaves. Let them sizzle for a minute or so, until crisp, then lift them out and drain on kitchen paper.
Spoon the pasta into warm bowls and arrange a wedge or two of roasted squash alongside. Scatter over the crispy sage leaves and serve with the remaining grated cheese and a trickle of olive oil.
