• Heat a splash of oil in a pan and brown the salsiccia meat well. Set it aside on a plate.

  If you are using salsiccia sausages, start by splitting the casings and scraping out the meat. Chop it roughly or crumble it between your fingers.
• Fry the onion in the same pan until soft and translucent, then add the pumpkin and garlic.
• Add the butter to the pan and fry for a further 5 minutes or so, then add the fresh sage. Toss well.
• Pour in the white wine and let it reduce, then add the stock. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper. Let it simmer until the pumpkin is tender.
• Meanwhile, cook the pasta al dente according to the packet instructions.
• When the pumpkin is tender, mash it roughly in the pan, with a fork for example, then stir in the salsiccia.

  You don't need to mash all of it – it should keep plenty of texture.
• Add the pasta to the pan along with the Parmesan and a splash of pasta water, and toss everything together well. Add more pasta water until you have a lovely soft, creamy consistency.
• Season to taste with lemon juice, salt and freshly ground pepper before serving.

*Fried sage - optional

• I top my pumpkin and salsiccia pasta with fried sage. It is simple and makes a very pretty garnish.
• Heat a couple of centimetres of neutral-flavoured oil in a small saucepan until it reaches a temperature of about 170-180°C.
• Drop the sage leaves or sprigs into the hot oil and fry them very briefly. Then lift them out with a slotted spoon or tweezers and place them on kitchen paper to drain. You now have crisp fried sage.

  The sage must come out of the oil before it discolours – it looks best when it still has its fresh green colour. If it discolours, the oil is too hot or the sage has been fried for too long.