Our favourite Bristolian pasta connoisseur, The Monday Pasta Club shares a recipe from his new cookbook, The Monday Pasta Club: 60 Recipes For Every Occasion.
Here, sweet mellow squash is roasted with plenty of garlic and sage. It is then blended until smooth and mixed with a lightly spiced shallot cream to make the perfect silky sauce. Ed has paired it with tangy Pecorino cheese, which complements the sauce perfectly.
INGREDIENTS
- 1 small butternut squash, halved, fibres and seeds removed
- Olive oil, for roasting
- Leaves from a few fresh rosemary sprigs, finely chopped
- 6 sage leaves, roughly chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, skin left on
- 40g (1½oz) salted butter
- 1 banana shallot, finely chopped
- ½ tablespoon cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon ground (powdered) cinnamon
- Leaves from a few fresh thyme sprigs
- 60ml (4 tablespoons) single (light) cream
- Freshly grated (ground) nutmeg
- 80g (2¾oz) finely grated (shredded) Pecorino Romano cheese
- 1 lemon, halved, for squeezing
- 150g (5½oz) pici salt and pepper
METHOD
Preheat the oven to 190°C (170°C fan), 375°F.
Place the halved butternut squash on a large baking tray (baking sheet), drizzle over a generous glug of oil and season well with salt and pepper. Scatter the rosemary, sage and garlic cloves over the squash then bake in the oven for 1 hour until the flesh is completely tender. Then remove the squash from the oven and set aside.
Put a large pan of well-salted water on to boil for the pasta. Meanwhile, add the butter to a large pan and place over a medium–low heat. Add the shallot and cook for 5 minutes until softened. Then add the cumin seeds, cinnamon, thyme, cream, a little grated (ground) nutmeg and half the Pecorino Romano. Stir together then turn off the heat.
Scoop out the cooked flesh from the skin of the squash and squeeze the cooked garlic from its skin. Transfer both to a food processor or blender. Add the shallot and cream mixture along with a squeeze of lemon juice. Blend together until super smooth. Return to the pan and bring to a gentle simmer while you cook the pasta.
Cook the pici in the pan of boiling water until al dente, guided by the timing on the packet instructions. Drain, reserving a little cooking water. Add the pasta and a splash of reserved cooking water to the sauce. Toss over the heat for a minute or two until the sauce coats the pasta. Divide between 2 bowls then top with the remaining cheese.