Make this lush oven-baked pasta for tomorrow’s lunch or dinner…because fancy food shouldn’t be just on special days!
Creamy squash, tasty Sardinian pecorino cheese, crispy sage and crunchy crushed hazelnuts - because I love when different textures mix in the same dish.
Miso butter - because I have a secret…I’ve been adding a teaspoon of miso paste to many of my Italian dishes for Y-E-A-R-S! I like to replace bullion with miso or add miso to tomato sauces because it adds a certain umami + it’s very healthy!
A couple of notes before we dive into it:
You can use any pasta shape. You can also replace pecorino with parmigiano or any other sharp, hard cheese. Just make sure it’s a salty one to counterbalance the sweetness of squash.
Skip the cheese entirely and replace butter with vegan butter for a vegan version. I promise it will be just as delicious.
Ingredients (for 2)
Olive oil 1 tbsp
Gnocchi sardi (or other pasta) 200g
Butternut squash 250g cubed
Onion 1 small chopped finely
A few ladles of veggie stock
Salt & pepper to taste
Miso paste 1 tsp
Butter 2 tbsp softened
Pecorino sardo (or other sharp cheese) 3 tbsp grated
Fresh sage 8-10 leaves
Hazelnuts 1/2 cup
Method
Heat the olive oil in a heavy bottomed pan and add onion. Sauté till softened, then add the squash. Season with salt, pepper and add 1-2 ladles of veggie stock. Cover and let it cook over medium-low heat until the squash is fork-tender but not mushy.
Allow it to cool, then blend half of the squash with 1 additional splash of stock till creamy. Set aside.
Cook your pasta in plenty boiling, salted water. Drain 2 minutes before the time indicated on the packaging.
While the pasta is cooking, pre-heat the oven to 220C. At the same time, make the miso brown butter. Melt the butter and miso together in a small pan on a soft flame for about 8-10 mins until the butter has browned and slightly thickened.
Transfer the pasta to an oven-safe casserole and add both creamed and cubed squash, the miso butter and the grated cheese.
Top with roughly chopped sage leaves and hazelnuts. Bake for 8-10 mins until the top is crispy!
Buon appetito!
Word of the Day
Zucca
(Pumpkin or squash, pronounced zùc·ca)
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