Pumpkin Pastina with Vegan Brown Butter and Sage
Servings: 2 servings
Equipment
- 1 saucepan
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp vegan butter*
- 1 large shallot finely minced
- 3 cloves garlic finely minced
- handful fresh sage leaves
- 8 oz pastina gluten free
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 1/4 cup pumpkin purée
- 1/2 tsp salt kosher
- 1/4 tsp fresh black pepper
- 1/4 cup vegan parmesan grated
Crispy Sage
- 1/4 cup neutral oil
- 10 sage leaves fresh
Instructions
Make the Crispy Sage
- Add oil to shallow pan over medium heat. Use a chopstick or wooden utensil to test that the oil is hot enough to fry. Little bubbles should form around your wooden utensil, or you can toss in an excess piece of sage to test.
- Once hot, add your sage leaves and let sizzle until slightly withered in appearance. Remove from the heat and transfer to a paper towel to cool. Immediately sprinkle with a tiny touch of salt and set aside until ready to serve.
Prepare the Vegan Brown Butter
- Start by browning your vegan butter. Add butter to a saucepan over medium heat and let melt, untouched. Allow to continue to cook without stirring and watch carefully as the colour starts to brown. It should take no longer than 8-10 minutes for your butter to develop a deep amber colour and for solids to form at the bottom of the pan. Turn the heat off and let sit for 2-3 minutes so as not to burn the shallot and garlic.
Cook the Pastina
- After a few minutes, turn the heat back on to medium heat and add shallots. Cook for 2-3 minutes until tender, then add garlic and sage and cook for another 2 minutes or so until fragrant. Season with a touch of salt and pepper.
- Add dry pastina to the pan and toast, stirring to coat with the shallot and garlic mixture, for about 2 minutes. Add the broth to the pan and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to a low simmer.
- Add pumpkin purée and stir into the mixture until evenly incorporated, then continue to simmer the mixture until you reach your desired consistency and the pastina is cooked through. If you'd like it to be soupier, simmer for less time and if you prefer it more porridge-y, simmer until most of the liquid has been absorbed. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Top with vegan parmesan and crispy sage leaves and enjoy.
Notes
Results with browning vegan butter will vary based on the brand of vegan butter used. This is due to the variety of ingredients used and the difference in water/fat ratios. I used Earth Balance vegan butter, but most vegan butter brands should do! The goal is really to get a toasty flavour out of the butter.