Pumpkin Pasta with Sage Brown Butter Sauce

Ingredients for pasta: 

1 (15 oz) can of pumpkin puree

4 cups flour, plus more for dusting

Other ingredients: 

1 pound of sweet italian sausage

1/2 cup chicken stock

1 1/2 sticks of unsalted butter

2 TBSP olive oil

10-15 fresh sage leaves

1 bunch of fresh spinach, trimmed and long stems removed (about 10oz)

1 lemon

Pepitas or Pistachios - lightly roasted and salted

Fresh parmesan cheese - shaved

Salt and pepper

Red pepper flakes

Nutmeg

An enhancement - pumpernickel bread crumbs. (2 TBSP butter, 1 TSP garlic paste melted in a pan. Add about 2 cups of pumpernickel bread crumbs. Toast until crispy and fragrant - about 3-4 minutes. Cool)

Directions: 

1. Combine pumpkin and flour in a stand mixer with paddle attachment. Mix until just combined and then remove onto a floured surface. 

2. Knead the dough for just a minute or two until combined. You should have a large dough ball that is slightly smooth on the outside. Let rest under plastic wrap for at least 20 minutes and up to an hour

3. In the meantime, remove casing from the sausage and break up into small pieces. 

4. Pick the sage leaves. Cut the lemon. Trim the spinach. Shave your cheese. 

5. Start a large pot of water and bring to a boil. Make your pasta. Cut the dough into 4 pieces. Work with one and keep the others under plastic wrap. 

6. Start flattening by hand and then use flour on a rolling pin to roll out a sheet of pasta.  When thin like pappardelle, flour, roll up and then cut pasta roll to get long pappardelle like noodles. Unroll and then lay out on a sheet tray. Cover with a kitchen towel and continue on to the next quadrant of dough. Repeat until complete. 

7. Heat a large saute pan or braiser pan with 2 TBSP olive oil. Sear the sausage about 5-6 minutes, tossing occasionally. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon. 

8. Lower heat to medium low. Deglaze with chicken stock and scrape up brown bits. 

9. Add butter, salt, pepper, pinch of nutmeg, big pinch of red pepper flakes and melt. 

10. When butter it completely melted and bubbling ever so slightly, add the sage. Cook until fragrant - about 1-2 minutes. 

11. Add the sausage back to the pan along with the spinach and juice of half a lemon. Toss. 

12. Drop the pasta in heavily salted water now. 

13. As the spinach wilts and butter becomes a light brown lower heat to make sure it doesn't get too dark. Taste the pan sauce for seasoning and adjust here. 

14. After about 4-5 minutes the pasta should be done. Use a spider or tongs and place pasta right into the sauce pan (you want some pasta water to come with it). Toss to coat. Add more stock or even some pasta water if you need to stretch the sauce. 

15. To serve, plate the pasta. Top with pepitas, pumpernickel bread crumbs, parmesan and a fresh sage leave. 

Wine pairing: 

Tintoretto

Sangiovese

2019

Puglia, Italy

I tried this recipe for the first time with some friends who live afar! We all cooked together via Zoom and these are their dishes. Everyone said it was delicious and truly a fall favorite.