Pasta with butternut and blue cheese

Another one of Nigella Lawson's from the Kitchen recipe book and another attempt at cooking something new. This is pretty straight forward and simple to make when you have been at work all day, there is a bit prep due to the butternut squash - it always takes me ages to chop up but as there was loads of it I popped some in sandwich bag and froze them for the next time I make this.

It was a surprisingly light dish and not what I was expecting, the amount of masala gives it an indian cuisine flavour which when combined with the blue cheese makes it creamy almost like a korma. Once you get all the flavours of the sage, butternut squash, pine nuts and blue cheese combining it is tasty and I will make again but I am not sure yet if it will become a regular on the dinner circuit.

Nigella recommended using pappardelle pasta but I just went for rigatoni (as that is what we had in the fridge!) and adapted it to serve two people.

Pasta with Butternut and Blue cheese

Serves 2

Ingredients:

• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 small butternut squash, peeled, deseeded and cut into 2cm cubes
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 tablespoons Marsala
• 100ml water
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 3 fresh sage leaves, finely chopped (or 1/2 teaspoon dried sage)

• 300g fresh pasta, a robust variety is recommended such as pappardelle or rigatoni
• 70g pine nuts
• 100g soft blue cheese, crumbled

Method:

1. Fry the onion in the olive oil over a medium heat in a large, heavy-based pan that can accommodate all the pasta later.

2. When the onion is golden, add the paprika and cubed butternut squash, then add the butter, stirring everything together well in the pan so it is coated in the butter. Add the Marsala and water. Once the mixture starts to simmer, put the lid on, turn down the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the squash is tender but still holds its shape.

3. Season to taste (keeping in mind that the cheese will be salty too), then sprinkle the sage into the squash mixture, reserving some to garnish.

4. Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling, salted water according to the packet instructions. Toast the pine nuts in a separate hot, dry pan, tip them into a bowl and set aside.

5. Before you drain the pasta, reserve a mugful of the cooking water. Add the drained pasta to the squash and slowly stir to combine. Add some of the pasta cooking water to help the sauce emulsify, then add the blue cheese and half the pine nuts. Gently combine, then sprinkle the remaining pine nuts and sage on top and serve.