Isn’t that one good-looking plate of pasta! I absolutely love the colors here – deep hues of green, brown and orange create a cozy, autumn-y feel. But these Butternut Squash and Porcini Pappardelle are more than just a pretty face. Full of rich flavours and comforting textures, they offer a soul-soothing warmth and a truly gourmet experience.
The Flavour Affair:
Butternut Squash + Porcini + Garlic + Thyme + Lemon + Sage + Parmesan
The first four ingredients define the overall flavour profile of the dish: deep, savory and earthy (mushrooms & thyme) with subtle sweet notes (garlic & squash). Lemon, sage and parmesan bring in other taste elements: acidity, bitterness and salt. Together, they form a rounded, balanced flavour combination and offer a variety of textures. Blended with stock, roasted butternut squash provides a luscious, silky base. Meaty soft mushrooms, creamy parmesan and crispy sage leaves create a nice contrast.
Preparation tips for Butternut Squash and Porcini Pappardelle:
- Roasting draws out the mellow sweetness of butternut. To accentuate it further, tuck in a few garlic cloves before sending the squash into the oven. Season with salt and a drizzle of olive oil and roast for 30-35 minutes or until soft. Scoop out the flesh and blend together with garlic and a little stock to a smooth paste.
- You can add a couple of table spoons of double cream if you’d like a richer sauce.
- I am using dried porcini mushrooms for this recipe. They have a lot of concentrated flavour that is released during soaking and then cooking. Cover the mushrooms with a good amount of water and leave at room temperature for about half an hour. Use a blotted spoon to take them out and wash thoroughly to get rid of dirt and sand. Strain the soaking water through a fine mesh and reserve.
- Part of the soaking water goes into the pasta sauce to enhance the mushroom-y taste. The rest can be refrigerated or frozen for later use.
- Cook the mushrooms in a little butter with garlic and thyme for at least 20 minutes for the flavours to open up.
- To make crispy sage leaves, heat a little oil in a shallow pan to medium. Fry the leaves on both sides until they turn a couple of shades darker. They are quite delicate so take caution not to burn them. Around 20 seconds is usually enough. Transfer to a paper towel to drain the excess oil.
Finish off with grated parmesan and a grind of black pepper mill and enjoy!
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Butternut Squash and Porcini Pappardelle with Lemon and Sage
Ingredients
For the squash:
- 1/2 small butternut squash
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 4-5 garlic cloves unpeeled
- 100-150 ml chicken or vegetable stock
- 100 ml cream optional
- 1/2 tsp salt
For the mushrooms:
- 30 g dried porcini or wild mushrooms
- 3-4 garlic cloves smashed
- A few sprigs of fresh thyme
- 50 g butter
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 cups soaking water
For the pasta:
- 250 g pappardelle pasta
- Grated parmesan
- 10 sage leaves
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- A lemon wedge
Instructions
- Soak the dried mushrooms in 1l water for half an hour. If they haven't soften by then, leave for longer.
- Use a blotted spoon to take the mushrooms out. Wash them thoroughly and drain the soaking water through a fine mesh to get rid of sand. Keep both.
- Remove the seeds from the squash and stuff in the garlic cloves.
- Brush the squash (open side) with 1 tbsp olive oil mixed with 1 tsp dried thyme and 1/2 tsp salt.
- Roast in the oven for about 30 minutes until soft.
- Remove, scoop out the flesh and squeeze out the garlic.
- Blend together with 100ml stock and 100ml cream, if using. Add more stock to adjust consistency. Taste and adjust for salt.
- Heat 50g butter in a pan, add 3 garlic cloves, fresh thyme and mushrooms and sauté for a few minutes.
- Add 1/2 cups of mushroom water and salt and simmer for 30-35 minutes. Add more soaking water if needed.
- Discard the aromatics, add the blended squash to the pan and stir to combine.
- Squeeze over the lemon juice from one wedge. Taste and adjust to perfection.
- To make crispy sage leaves, heat a little olive oil to medium and fry the leaves for just about 20 seconds on each side.
- Boil pasta according to the instructions. Transfer to the pan with the sauce and toss to coat.
- Serve immediately with grated parmesan, freshly ground black pepper and garnished with fried sage leaves.
Notes
- You can use mixed wild mushrooms instead of porcini.
- You can skip sage leaves and season the pasta with dried thyme.
