Zucca with Pumpkin Sauce and Crispy Sage
Embrace all things autumnal with pumpkin-shaped pasta with a delicious pumpkin sage sauce. This dish is sure to satisfy your cravings for pumpkin, with the added bonus of being a festive addition to your fall menu.
INGREDIENTS
MAKES FOUR SERVINGS
- 1-pound Sfoglini Zucca
- 1/3 cup almonds
- 3 tablespoons olive oil , divided
- 20 sage leaves
- 8 tablespoons butter, divided
- 1/4 medium onion, minced
- Pinch red pepper flakes
- 3 tablespoons pumpkin puree
- Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
- 1/3 cup crumbled goat cheese, for serving
DIRECTIONS
Bring a pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta to al dente, according to package instructions. Before straining, reserve 1 cup of pasta water.
In a small nonstick skillet over low heat, toast the almonds for 3-5 minutes. Remove and chop coarsely and set aside. In the same skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium-high heat, and very quickly fry the sage leaves (only about 30 seconds), working in batches and adding more oil as necessary. Once fried, place the leaves on a paper towel-lined plate and season with salt. Set aside.
In a larger skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the butter over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until softened, about five minutes. Cut the remaining butter into a couple of pieces. Turn up the heat on the skillet to medium and add the butter. Stir continuously. As the butter begins to brown, after about 4 minutes, add the pumpkin and continue to cook for two minutes more. Add some reserved pasta water to thin out the sauce, and season aggressively with salt and pepper.
Toss the Zucca in the sauce, then divide into four bowls. Top with the toasted almonds, goat cheese, and fried sage leaves, and serve.
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Pasta Swaps: This recipe would also work well with Rye Trumpets, Einkorn Macaroni, or Semolina Radiator.