Squid Ink Pasta with Pumpkin, Sage and Browned Butter



Okay, I know. This is one of those weird ones. But it is Halloween, and I was looking for something black and orange (go SF Giants!) to make, and I saw a package of squid ink pasta at The Pasta Shop in Berkeley, and I just had to have it.

Have you ever had squid ink pasta? It’s pasta that has been flavored (and naturally colored) with jet black squid ink. Which now that I think about it, doesn’t sound particularly appetizing, unless of course you’ve tried it. In which case you will go to great lengths to obtain and consume it.

Squid ink pasta is absolutely delicious. Like, don’t-bother-me, leave-me-alone-while-I-savor-this, wow-this-is-good, delicious. As for the specific taste? The pasta itself is only lightly flavored with the squid ink, so the pasta tastes like pasta, just really good. (How’s that for an explanation?)

This recipe is sort of like a deconstructed classic pumpkin ravioli in sage browned butter sauce, except that the pumpkin is on the outside, and the pasta with the sage browned butter sauce is on the inside. To eat it, you can take a small scoop of pumpkin from the inside of the pumpkin and swirl it with a little pasta.

Do you like squid ink pasta? What’s your favorite preparation? Please let us know in the comments. I have more that I haven’t yet cooked, so I’m looking for ideas, thanks!

squid-ink-pasta-pumpkin-b.jpg


Squid Ink Pasta with Pumpkin, Sage and Browned Butter Recipe

Squid ink pasta typically comes as either spaghetti or linguine; either will work fine. We dust the insides of the pumpkin with a little sugar, just to accentuate the sweetness of the pumpkin. You can use either brown or white sugar, or skip it all together.

Ingredients

  • 4 small sugar pumpkins, each about 1 pound to 1 1/2 pound
  • Salt
  • 2 to 4 teaspoons of white sugar, or 2 to 4 Tbsp of brown sugar (to taste)
  • 1 pound squid ink pasta
  • 6 Tbsp butter
  • 1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh sage leaves (with a few small whole leaves for garnish)
  • A splash of apple cider vinegar


Read More: Squid Ink Pasta with Pumpkin, Sage and Browned Butter

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Easy Blender Hollandaise Sauce

Image
Many people are afraid of hollandaise sauce, are you? Some think eating it will make them fat. (It will if you eat it every day, so don’t eat it every day.) If you are like me, the thought of making hollandaise conjures up visions of toque clad chefs with big bowls and even bigger whisks swearing because the beautiful sauce they have spent the last several minutes vigorously whisking has separated on them, “Merde!” I have been desperately afraid of making this sauce since forever. (Not afraid of eating it mind you, I’ve never met an eggs benedict I didn’t like, or eat.) To overcome this fear I asked my friend Hank to show me how to make it. OMG. Hank’s hollandaise didn’t separate, and he didn’t swear (any more than usual), but the work! The beads of sweat forming on this man’s forehead as he whipped those egg yolks and butter into submission. I was dreading the attempt. Hank has arms of steel. I have arms of, hmmm, a young, willo...
Read more

Perfect Cheesecake

Image
Looking for the perfect cheesecake? It takes a bit of hubris to describe a recipe as “perfect”, especially for a recipe such as cheesecake, for which so many have their own personal favorite. But, this is simply the best, most wonderful cheesecake I have ever had, and have ever made. It is based on a master recipe, from the master of baking herself, Dorie Greenspan. It is a classic New York style cheesecake with a graham cracker crust and high sides. It is dense, rich, and light at the same time, and serves a small army. But watch out—just when you think you’ve made enough for your gathering, so many people will go back for seconds that you may be left without a piece! My young friend Audrey and I made some slight changes to Dorie’s base recipe. We’ve thickened the graham crust on the bottom and doesn’t let it ride up the sides. We also top the cake with a creamy sour cream topping and serves it with a tangy bright raspbe...
Read more