ROASTED BUTTERNUT SQUASH PASTA WITH ALEPPO CHILLI CRICKETS

Serves: 2

Time: 1 hour

INGREDIENTS

Sauce:

Butternut Squash – 1

Garlic Bulb – 1

Sage Leaves – 3

Vegetable Oil – 1 tbsp

Vegetable Stock – 260ml

Nutritional Yeast – 2 tsp

Salt and Black Pepper

Crickets:

Aleppo Chilli Flakes – 1 tsp

Vegetable Oil – 2 tsp

Serve:

Pappardelle – 250g

Parmesan

FOR THE SAUCE | 45 mins

Heat the oven to 190°C fan.
Dice the butternut squash and toss with chopped sage, vegetable oil and some salt and pepper in a roasting tin.
Slice the top off the garlic bulb so that each clove is a little exposed, then drizzle a little vegetable oil over the exposed ends and wrap the whole thing in foil. Place it in the roasting tin with the squash.
Roast for 40 minutes, turning halfway through, until the squash is soft and starting to char on the edges.
Transfer it to the jug of a liquidiser and combine it with the vegetable stock and nutritional yeast.
Blitz until completely smooth and creamy, then taste and add salt and black pepper. Because the squash is quite sweet, you will need to season it generously to counteract the sweetness.

FOR THE CRICKETS | 3 mins

Heat the vegetable oil in a frying pan then add the crickets and fry for 1-2 minutes.
Stir in the Aleppo pepper and remove from the heat.

TO SERVE | 10 mins

Cook the pasta in plenty of salted boiling water until just al dente.
Combine a little of the pasta cooking water with the squash sauce to loosen it, then add the drained pasta and toss it all together until the pasta is well coated. Taste and season with more salt and pepper if necessary.
Divide the pasta between two pasta bowls, then top with the crickets.
Serve immediately, with grated parmesan cheese on top if desired, and extra Aleppo chilli flakes to sprinkle on top.