It’s amazing how much you can accomplish in one skillet. The recipe below could easily fill a sink with dirty dishes, but by cooking its components sequentially in a Field skillet—brown butter, fried sage, toasted walnuts—then recombining everything at the end to coat the pasta in a light, silky sauce, you only need to rinse and dry your kitchen workhorse (and maybe apply a quick layer of Seasoning Oil while you’re at it).
1.
The recipe calls for delicata squash, which has a thin skin (no need to peel) and sweet flavor. If you can’t find delicata, use diced butternut squash.
2.
Mixing a spoonful of miso with the brown butter adds an extra level of savoriness to this meat-free recipe. If you don’t have any miso on hand, don’t sweat it!
3.
We love the way large tubes of paccheri collapse when cooked (some say the pasta’s name, which means “slaps,” comes from the sounds it makes when sauced). If you can’t find paccheri, use rigatoni or other large, tubular pasta.
Recipe: Pasta with Delicata Squash, Brown Butter, Walnuts, and Sage
Yield: 4 servings
Print RecipeIngredients
1 stick unsalted butter
2 medium delicata squash
15 large sage leaves
Kosher salt
1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
1 tablespoon yellow miso
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, plus lemon wedges, for serving
Extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound paccheri, rigatoni or other large, tubular pasta
2 tablespoons honey
1½ cups grated Pecorino-Romano or Parmesan cheese
Tools
Resources
The Field Method for Cast Iron Care
Instructions
1.
Melt the butter No.10 (11 ⅝-inch) or No.12 (13 ⅜-inch) skillet over medium heat. Cook, swirling the pan, until the butter is foamy, about 2 minutes. Add the sage leaves and fry, gently stirring, until crispy, about 30 seconds. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the sage to paper towels to drain and season with salt. Add the walnuts to the skillet and cook, stirring frequently, until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer the walnuts to a bowl. Pour the brown butter into another bowl, leaving about 2 tablespoons behind in the skillet. Stir the miso and lemon juice into the brown butter mixture.
2.
Cut the squash in half lengthwise (do not peel), then scoop out the seeds. Cut the squash lengthwise into quarters, then crosswise into ¼-inch pieces.
3.
Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the skillet and heat over medium heat. Add the squash cook, stirring occasionally, until browned all over, 5 to 7 minutes.
4.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta until al dente, then drain, reserving a cup of the pasta water. Add about ½ cup of pasta water to the skillet along with the reserved brown butter. Bring the liquid to a simmer and add the pasta, tossing well to combine. Add half of the cheese and stir until a silky sauce forms, adding additional water as needed. Add the fried sage and stir to combine.
5.
Divide the pasta among shallow bowls. Drizzle with honey and olive oil, and squeeze some lemon juice over the top. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over and serve.
