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

A delicious and comforting plate of pappardelle pasta tossed with a silky sauce made with roasted butternut squash, fried aromatic porcini mushrooms, garlic and thyme and finished off with a squeeze of lemon and crispy sage leaves.

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Prep Time 40 minutes mins

Cook Time 50 minutes mins

Servings 4 people

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.