Brown Butter & Sage Mafaldine With Butternut Salad & Garlic Bread

Preheat the oven to 220°C/ 200°C (fan)/ gas 7 and boil a kettle

Add your butternut squash cubes to a heatproof bowl

Cover the bowl with cling film and pierce a few holes in the top

Put the bowl in the microwave and cook for 3-4 min or until the squash is fork-tender

Add your cheese, garlic and basil mini baguette[s] to a baking tray, then put the tray in the oven for 10-15 min or until golden brown and piping hot throughout

Meanwhile, heat a large dry pan over a medium heat

Once hot, add your pine nuts and cook for 2-3 min or until toasted and lightly golden

Once golden, transfer to a plate (save the pan!) – these are your toasted pine nuts

Tip: Watch them like a hawk to make sure they don't burn!

Boil a kettle

Wash your salad, then pat dry with kitchen paper

Return the reserved pan to a high heat with a drizzle of olive oil

Once hot, add the softened butternut squash with a pinch of salt and cook for 3-4 min or until golden

Once golden, transfer to a plate, reserve the pan

While the butternut is cooking, add your mafaldine to a pot of boiled water and bring to the boil over a high heat

Cook the mafaldine for 7-9 min or until cooked with a slight bite

Once done, drain the mafaldine, reserving 100ml [130ml] [170ml] starchy pasta water

Combine the reserved starchy pasta water with your clotted cream and vegetable stock mix – this is your pasta stock

Wipe the reserved pan clean and return it to a medium-heat

Once hot, add 20g [30g] [40g] butter

Swirl the butter around the pan as it melts, and cook for 3-5 min or until the butter starts to brown and smell nutty, then remove the pan from the heat – this is your brown butter

While the butter browns, crush your garlic open by squashing it with the side of a knife and discard the skins

Strip your sage leaves from their stems and discard the stems

Once the butter has browned, add the crushed garlic and sage leaves and cook for 30 secs or until the garlic is fragrant and the sage is crisp

Transfer the crispy sage leaves to the plate with the pine nuts and discard the garlic (save the pan!)

Return the reserved pan to a medium-high heat, then add the drained pasta and pasta stock and cook for 2-3 min or until the sauce coats the pasta

Add half your grated Italian hard cheese with a very generous pinch of salt and stir it all together – this is your brown butter mafaldine