Sage tagliatelle with roast pumpkin & stilton

This began life, like the majority of my cooking, as a dish imagined in my mind as I pondered my ingredients, the weather, my mood and the occasion…..In this case the evolution of a recipe took place over many months as I watched my pumpkins grow and ripen over the summer. I was planning to make tortellini, little stuffed pasta shapes with a filling of stilton and roasted pumpkin. Indeed that’s what I started making, but as I was began working my pasta dough it stuck me as how dreadfully wasteful it was to cut, roll and shape tortellini. I glanced at the chickens and felt bad about wasting their precious eggs and realised it is simply not right in this day and age to throw out a third of my dough as I trimmed the pasta shapes. So I stopped and had a rethink. This, then, is the deconstructed version and utterly delicious it was too, filling and deeply savoury. 

Whilst I love dried pasta and use it all the time, but the beauty of making your own is the way you can embellish it with herbs, spices and flavourings. I can honestly say it is not something I do very often but it does make a great rainy Saturday afternoon activity that the kids love to get involved in. 

Serves 4, generously

for the pasta:

400g ‘OO’ pasta flour

4 large eggs

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Salt & freshly ground black pepper 

Sage leaves - a loose handful (about 5g of leaves, no stalks), finely chopped

for the pumpkin:

1 kg pumpkin (or squash) chopped into 1-2cm cubes

1 large red onion, chopped

3 tbsp olive oil 

Sage leaves - a loose handful (about 5g of leaves, no stalks), roughly chopped

6 cloves garlic, whole & unpeeled

350g Stilton, crumbled 

to finish:

60g unsalted butter

Salt & freshly ground black pepper

Pasta dough can be made either by hand, in a food processor or the way I tend to do it; in a food mixer with a dough hook. By hand, add the flour to a large bowl, break in the eggs and add the remaining ingredients.  Mix together with a wooden spoon until you have a rough dough, then tip onto the work surface and knead for a few minutes until it is smooth and elastic. 

If using a processor simply add all the ingredients to a bowl and pulse until you have a rough dough, then tip onto the worktop and knead.  In a food mixer, you add all the ingredients and let the dough hook do the mixing and kneading for you.  Whichever way you make it it is important to let the dough rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before you roll it as this allows it to relax and become more workable. It will keep happily, well wrapped, in the fridge for a couple of days if you want to make it in advance.

The easiest way to roll your pasta is to use a pasta machine. Cut the dough into quarters and feed each piece through the rollers, reducing the setting on the machine to roll it thinner and thinner. Once you have a thin sheet, cover it loosely with cling film and continue with the other pieces. You can also shape your dough into sheets with a rolling pin and a bit of elbow grease. Cut the sheets into tagliatelle, either rustically by hand, or as I did by using ribbon cutter on my machine. Hang the ribbons over a coat hook and leave to dry a little while you cook the pumpkin.

In a large roasting tin toss the the pumpkin (or squash) and red onion in the olive oil and season generously with freshly ground black pepper and a little salt.  Stir through the sage, tuck in the cloves of garlic and roast at 180°C for around 25 minutes until the pumpkin is tender and caramelizing at the edges. 

Turn off the oven, fish out the garlic cloves and set aside. Sprinkle the crumbled stilton over the roast vegetables and return to the oven so the cheese gently melts whilst you 
cook the pasta and and make the butter sauce. 

Set a large pan of salted water to boil for the cooking the pasta. Once it is vigorously boiling lower in the tagliatelle and cook until al dente - around 3-4 minutes. Drain and return the pan.

To make the sauce, add the butter to a small heavy based frying pan and melt. Allow it to bubble over a medium heat for a couple of minutes until it has turned a nutty golden brown, taking care it doesn’t burn. Remove from the heat. Peel the roast garlic and squidge to a puree with the flat of a knife and mix into the butter. Pour over the pasta and toss until it is coated all over.

Serve the pasta in wide bowls topped with the squash and melted stilton and stir though as you eat. 

A sublime onion tart

Now this tart is the sort of thing I have dreams about - is that terribly sad? My guess is that if you are reading a blog on egg cookery you will have more than a passing interest in food and will therefore understand! It is one of those rare things that comprises a mere handful of ingredients yet the end result tastes hugely complex. I would go as far as to say this is a fairly frugal dish, albeit one of the best sorts that take a very cheap ingredient, onions, in bulk and add to it a little luxury in the form of double cream. The resulting tart is deeply savoury, rich and unctuous and really rather wonderful.

Onion Tart

Makes a 25cm deep filled tart

You need:

for the pastry:

130g plain flour, fine milled '00' will give you a crisper pastry

75g unsalted butter

a few tablespoons ice cold water

fine sea salt

for the filling:

900g white onions, sliced

50g unsalted butter

splash olive oil

1 small sprig fresh rosemary, needles picked & finely chopped 

200ml double cream

150ml milk

4 medium eggs

salt & freshly ground black pepper

What to do:

Preheat the oven to 180oC/Gas 4.

Begin by making the pastry. In a large bowl, season the flour with a little fine sea salt. Add the butter and rub into the flour, with cold fingers and a light touch, until it resembles crumbly breadcrumbs. Add just enough water to bring the pastry together in a ball. This will be something like 3 tablespoons, maybe a little more, maybe a little less. If you overdo it and it ends up a little sticky add a shake more flour. Wrap tightly in cling and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Melt the butter very gently in a deep wide frying pan and add the onions, rosemary and a splash of oil. Cook as gently as possible for as long as possible, an hour would be good if you had the time. The point whole of this tart is the melting sublime onions, and this is a step that cannot, must not, be rushed. A square of greaseproof, scrunched up under a running tap then shaken, unfolded and tucked over the onions will provide a steamy cover that will prevent the onions burning.

Whilst the onions are cooking remove the pastry from the fridge. On a floured work surface, roll as thin as you dare and use to line a loose bottomed 25cm flan tin. Prick the base all over with a fork, line with baking paper and baking beans. Bake blind for 15-20 minutes, until the pastry is crisp and golden. Remove and allow to cool. Turn the oven down to 160oC.

Lightly beat the cream and milk with the eggs and season with a little salt and freshly ground black pepper. Spread the cooked onions over the pastry case and pour in the custard. Bake in the oven for around 35-40 minutes or until the filling is just set. Allow to cool a little before serving with a crisp green salad. I actually prefer this tart at something nearing room temperature - the onions seem to take on a more complex sweet softness when served barely warm. But you can eat if hot if that is what you fancy. I wouldn't, however, eat it fridge cold - the whole subtle point of the dish would be lost.