Name: Butternut and ricotta rotolo with sage brown butter
Total time: 2 h
Yield: Serves 6 as a starter
Ingredients: 1 clove garlic crushed; a bunch sage ½ leaves finely chopped and ½ leaves picked; a grating nutmeg; olive oil; 500g butternut squash seeded and cut into 2cm cubes; 150g ricotta; (or veggie alternative) 25g parmesan plus shavings to serve; a pinch ground mace; 1 egg beaten; 100g butter; 150g 00 flour plus more for dusting; 1 large eggs plus 1 yolk

1 clove garlic
crushed
a bunch sage
½ leaves finely chopped and ½ leaves picked
a grating nutmeg
olive oil
500g butternut squash
seeded and cut into 2cm cubes
150g ricotta
(or veggie alternative) 25g parmesan
plus shavings to serve
a pinch ground mace
1 egg
beaten
100g butter

PASTA

150g 00 flour
plus more for dusting
1 large eggs
plus 1 yolk

Method

step 1
Heat the oven to 160C/fan 140C/gas 3. Mix the garlic, chopped sage, nutmeg, 1 tbsp oil and season. Add the squash and toss. Tip onto a large shallow baking tray, and roast for 40 minutes – 1 hour until soft and dry (see cook’s notes at the bottom).
step 2
For the pasta, tip the flour into a food processor and whizz once to save having to sift it. Add the egg plus the yolk, and blend again until it forms a ball, adding 1 tbsp of water to help if needed. Tip onto a floured work surface and knead until it’s very smooth. Wrap in clingfilm and rest at room temperature.
step 3
Tip the roasted squash mix into a food processor and blend until smooth. Add the ricotta and grated parmesan, season with salt and pepper, and a pinch of mace.
step 4
Roll the pasta out until it’s 1mm thin, and approximately a 50cm x 40cm rectangle. Slide a clean, thin white cotton tea towel underneath the pasta sheet.
step 5
Spread the squash filling over the pasta using a spatula, leaving a 1cm border around the edges.
step 6
Use the tea towel to help you roll the pasta up like a swiss roll, starting from the edge closest to you. Brush the top edge with the beaten egg and seal.
step 7
Wrap the pasta roll in the tea towel and tie with string in 10cm intervals (not too tightly or this will leave dents in the pasta). Secure the ends firmly with more string and add a loop to each end to use as a handle.
step 8
Heat a fish kettle or deep roasting tin filled with water (deep enough to submerge the pasta roll) and bring to a boil. Add a pinch of salt. Gently lower the pasta into the water and simmer for 20 minutes, remove and leave to cool for a minute while you fry the sage leaves.
step 9
Heat the butter in a pan, continually stirring until it turns light brown and smells nutty. Add the whole sage leaves and fry for 30 seconds, then remove from the heat.
step 10
Unwrap the rotolo, cut 5cm sections on an angle (with a clean wet knife if it starts to stick) and arrange on plates, pouring over the sage, butter and top with parmesan shavings.