Pumpkin Pasta with Sage Butter

Pumpkin Pasta with Sage Butter

For The Times, They Are A-Changin’
Halloween was different this year. There were no parades. No morning rush to get the costume make-up done. No concerns about wearing a costume all day. In fact, the excitement about Halloween has been replaced, for some in my family, by high school soccer try-outs.

Sigh. Yep. We have reached the stage where the kids were handing out candy to trick-or-treaters instead of filling their own pillowcases.

We have one holdout, though. My twelve-year-old did go out trick or treating with her friends. She was dressed as a wedge of cheese that she constructed and painted all by herself complete with cheezy duct tape. This kid beats to her own—and I love it. I have no doubt that next year she will come up with an equally random costume idea and hit the streets to collect her chocolate.

This change means that dinner plans are different too. In fact, I actually put a little more work into it and made this recipe for Pumpkin Pasta with Sage Butter. It’s a great representation of the flavors of the season. And, the pumpkin is an obvious nod to Halloween. If you do not have a pasta machine it is just as easy to roll it out with a rolling pin.

To those of you who still headed out with your little ones, I hope you had fun and enjoyed these nights roaming the streets of your neighborhood with your kids. Because it’s true what they say…it all goes by so quickly!

Pumpkin Pasta with Sage Butter
Yields 6 servings

Ingredients
For the pasta
Ses salt
4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
One 15-ounce can pure pumpkin puree

For the sage butter
1 stick (8 ounces) unsalted butter
6-8 fresh sage leaves
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and sprinkle a baking sheet with flour.

Make the Pumpkin Pasta
Put the flour and pumpkin in a food processor and pulse in short bursts until the mixture comes together and a dough forms (about 1 minute).

Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface. Divide into 4 equal pieces. Roll and cut the pasta to the desired thickness using a rolling pin or a pasta machine. Cut into the desired shape, transfer to the prepared baking sheet and sprinkle with flour (this keeps the pieces from sticking together).

If you are not cooking the pasta immediately, you can cover it with plastic wrap for up to 4 hours or store in the fridge until you are ready to use. it. It also freezes (wrapped well) for up to one month.

Cook the pasta until tender but not mushy (there shouldn’t be a line of raw flour in the center), (about 2 to 5 minutes). This will depend on how thick you rolled the pasta and the size of the shapes. Pour into a colander and thoroughly.

Make the Sage Butter
While the pasta is cooking, melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the fresh sage leaves and cook, stirring occasionally, until the leaves are crispy and the butter begins to brown slightly and has a nutty aroma. Sprinkle in a teaspoon of salt.

Finish the pasta
Add the drained pasta to the skillet and toss well to coat. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

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