Sausage and butternut squash pasticcio
Sausage and butternut squash pasticcio

Prep time: 30 mins

Cook time: 25 mins

Total Time: 55 mins

Serves: 4

 

Ingredients:

For the sauce:

6 sausages, removed from skins 

1 large brown onion, sliced 

4 garlic cloves, minced 

1 red chilli, minced 

½ tbsp tomato paste 

1 butternut squash or ½ pumpkin

2 tbsp olive oil 

100ml milk 

Salt and pepper, to taste

 

For the bechamel:

60g unsalted butter 

60g plain flour

500ml milk

1 egg yolk

40g Parmesan, grated 

Salt and pepper, to taste 

 

For the pasta:

250g rigatoni, cooked 

50g gruyère, grated 

50g mozzarella, grated 

50g panko breadcrumbs 

6 sage leaves

50g unsalted butter, melted

 

To serve:

Handful red chicory leaves, roughly chopped

Handful rocket

1 apple, thinly sliced 

1 lemon, juiced

2 tbsp olive oil

Salt, to taste

 

Method:

  1. Start by roasting the squash. Preheat the oven to 200 C and halve the squash lengthways. Rub with olive oil, salt, and pepper, and roast for 30 minutes or until soft. 
  2. Meanwhile, work on the sauce. Squeeze all the sausage meat out of the casings, and brown in a pan with oil. Once crispy and browned, remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. 
  3. Add the onion, chilli, and garlic, and sauté over a low heat until soft and jammy. Add tomato paste, and cook for a further 3 minutes.
  4. Add the squash to the blender, along with a splash of milk and the rest of the onion mixture, and blend until smooth. 
  5. Add to the pan, along with the cooked sausage, and season with salt and pepper. 
  6. For the bechamel, melt butter in a pan, and brown it slightly. Add the flour, and whisk together. Slowly pour in the milk, season with salt and pepper, and cook on low until thickened. Turn off the heat, whisk in some parmesan and once it starts to cool, whisk through an egg yolk. 
  7. Toss the cooked rigatoni into the sauce. Pour over the bechamel, and a layer of cheese. Bake until golden and crispy, around 30 minutes. 
  8. Crisp up the sage leaves in butter. Once crispy, drain with a paper towel. Finely chop, then mix through toasted breadcrumbs with lemon zest and salt. 
  9. Combine red chicory, apple, and rocket with some lemon juice, salt, and olive oil for a quick and easy side salad. 
  10. Finish the pasta with the sage breadcrumbs once it comes out of the oven, and serve with a glass of Beronia. Cheers!

Recipe by Spencer Lengsfield @spencooks.