4

• 4 small sugar pumpkins, each about 1 pound to 1 1/2 pound
• Salt
• 2 to 4 teaspoons of white sugar, or 2 to 4 Tbsp of brown sugar (to taste)
• 1 pound squid ink pasta
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh sage leaves (with a few small whole leaves for garnish)
• A splash of apple cider vinegar or Epicurean White Balsamic Vinegar
• ¼ Cup Butter Flavored Epicurean Olive Oil

1 Preheat the oven to 350°F. Slice off the top quarter of each pumpkin and scoop out the insides. (Save the seeds to make toasted pumpkin seeds.) Using a strong metal spoon or a small sharp knife, scrape all the fibrous insides out of the pumpkins. Sprinkle the insides of the pumpkins with salt and sugar. Set the pumpkins on a baking sheet and bake for 1 hour, or until a fork easily pierces the flesh and the edges are lightly browned.
2 Prepare the pasta water while the pumpkins are cooking. Bring a large pot of well salted water (it should taste like the sea) to a boil. When the pumpkins have about 10 minutes to go before they're done, add the pasta to the boiling water. When the pumpkins are cooked remove from the oven to a serving dish or plates.
3 While the pasta is cooking, prepare the browned butter sauce. Heat the Butter Flavored Olive Oil in a sauté pan over medium heat. Add the sage leaves and cook until browned bits begin to form in the butter flavored olive oil and there is a lovely nutty aroma. Remove any whole sage leaves you are using for garnish. Remove the pan from the heat and pour the butter flavored olive oil into a large serving bowl
4 When the pasta is ready (al dente, slightly firm, but cooked through), use tongs to remove the pasta from the pot to the large bowl with the butter flavored olive oil. Allow some of the water from the pasta to drip into the bowl, it will help with the sauce. Toss the pasta with the butter flavored olive oil. Splash a little white balsamic vinegar over it. Taste for salt, it will likely need a bit more, especially if you've used unsalted butter. Add more if needed. Serve the pasta in the baked pumpkin shells. Garnish with reserved whole sage leaves that you had cooked with the sliced sage in the butter.