I’m still surprised by just how quickly autumn arrived this year. In September, I was eating fresh heirloom tomatoes and salads in my back garden. But on a walk in the Chilterns at the start of October, I couldn’t ignore the evidence of the seasonal change, from the fiery-red trees to the funk of fermenting apples in the air. As the night drew in and the temperature dropped, I even saw my breath for the first time.
As a result, my kitchen has wholly switched over to gourds, nuts and cosy stews, all earth tones and deep flavours. The shift to warming, comforting dishes has prompted a new burst of culinary inspiration. Take this month’s oh-so-October dish. As a born-and-raised North American, I love pumpkin in all applications, from desserts to coffee to, yes, beer. But I think it’s also underutilised as a savoury ingredient, so I decided to make a plate of pumpkin pasta.
For the sauce, I sautéed onions, Italian sausage and garlic. Then the pumpkin purée went in (you don’t have to roast and purée a whole squash – the canned stuff is fine), alongside crème fraîche for tang and creaminess, nutmeg for fragrance, Parmigiano-Reggiano for savoury depth and brown sugar for balancing sweetness.
After the pasta was mixed in and the sauce emulsified, I garnished it with fried sage leaves and brown-butter toasted hazelnuts. (Go for a hearty pasta shape that can support a chunky sauce and offer a contrasting bite – strozzapreti is great here, but try gemelli, rigatoni or other options.) The result was a pure distillation of autumn, and all the more so when paired with Indie Rabble’s Marzen Lager. The more traditional Oktoberfest beer, malty Marzen is deliciously biscuity, with a subtle note of caramel. Those flavours worked brilliantly alongside the pumpkin sauce, while the beer’s dry, bitter finish prevented it from feeling too rich.
It can be tempting to despair once summer is firmly in the rear view mirror and we're staring down the barrel of many months of cold, but with a autumnal bounty like this one, it feels like there’s still plenty to celebrate.
Pumpkin, Sausage & Crème Fraîche Pasta With Fried Sage and Hazelnuts
Serves 4-6
For the sauce:
2 tablespoons olive oil
25g salted butter
1 yellow onion, diced
400g herby sausages (use vegetarian sausages if preferred)
4-5 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon crushed chillis
Fine sea salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 425g tin pumpkin purée
150ml crème fraîche
3-4 tablespoons light brown sugar
1-2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
20g Parmigiano-Reggiano
To serve:
500g short, sturdy pasta (I used strozzapreti, but you could use gemelli, rigatoni or another preferred type)
Fine sea salt
75g salted butter
25-30 fresh sage leaves
200g chopped hazelnuts
Parmigiano-Reggiano, to garnish
1. First, prepare the sauce. Add the olive oil and butter to a Dutch oven or other large pot and place over medium-high heat. Once hot and the butter has melted, add the diced onion. Cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring frequently, or until just starting to turn translucent.
2. Next, add the sausage. Cook, stirring frequently and using a spoon to break down the pieces, or until well crumbled and starting to brown. Add the garlic and crushed chillis and turn the heat down to medium. Cook for 1-2 minutes more, stirring frequently, or until the garlic has lost its raw aroma. Season with fine sea salt (lightly) and freshly ground black pepper (generously).
3. Spoon the pumpkin purée into the pot. Cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring frequently, until it’s warmed through and starting to darken in colour. Pour over 100ml of hot water, or just enough until it’s loosened into a thick sauce. Add the crème fraîche, stirring through until incorporated.
4. Next, stir through the brown sugar and nutmeg. Using a microplane, finely grate the Parmigiano Reggiano into the sauce, and stir until melted through. Turn the heat down to low and cook for 5 minutes, allowing the flavours to meld. Taste and adjust the seasonings if needed. Remove from the heat and set aside.
5. Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil and salt generously. Add the pasta and cook, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking, or until al dente, according to the package instructions.
6. While the pasta cooks, prepare the garnishes. Add the salted butter to a large frying pan and place over medium heat. As soon as the butter has melted and before it starts to foam, add the sage leaves in a single layer. Cook for 2-3 minutes, flipping halfway through, or until the sage has gone dark green and crisp and the butter is starting to brown.
7. Remove the frying pan from the heat and transfer the sage leaves to a paper-towel-lined plate to drain. Add the chopped hazelnuts to the butter that’s left in the pan and stir until they’re evenly coated. Set aside.
8. Return the Dutch oven with the pumpkin sauce to the hob, and place over low heat. As soon as the pasta has finished cooking, use tongs or a slotted spoon to transfer to the sauce; don’t worry about shaking off any excess moisture. Spoon one or two ladles of the pasta cooking water into the sauce and stir. Continue adding water and stirring until the sauce is smooth and glossy, and clings well to the pasta. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed.
9. To serve, divide the pasta between plates or bowls. Sprinkle a good handful of the brown butter hazelnuts over each serving and garnish each with the crispy sage leaves. Grate over a touch more Parmigiano Reggiano and serve right away.
Claire M Bullen is a professional food and travel writer, a beer hound and all-around lover of tasty things. You can follow her at @clairembullen. For more recipes like this, sign up to our HB&B All Killer No Filler beer subscription - you'll receive Claire's recipe and food pairings, plus expert tasting notes, with 10 world-class beers like this one every month.
