Ingredients

• 100g/3½oz cocoa or chocolate pasta
• pinch salt
• 50g/1¾oz pecans
• roughly broken up
• 50g/1¾oz unsalted butter
• softened
• 50g/1¾oz dark brown sugar
• 100ml/3½fl oz double cream
• plus extra to serve

Directions

• Put water on to boil for the pasta and
• when it’s boiling
• add a pinch of salt and cook the pasta
• setting a timer for two minutes before the packet instructions say it will be ready.
• Put a medium-sized
• non-stick frying pan on the stove and tumble in the pecans
• then toast them over a medium heat. Once you can smell their scent wafting up from the pan
• remove them to a cold plate.
• Now stir the butter and sugar together in the frying pan until you have a hot
• treacly syrup. Carefully pour in the cream
• stir and let the caramel mixture bubble up
• add the toasted pecans and a pinch of salt
• then turn off the heat.
• Just before draining the pasta
• lower in a cup to remove a little pasta-cooking water
• then toss the drained pasta back into the frying pan with the dark and nutty butterscotch sauce
• adding a tablespoon or two of the cooking water if needed to help coat the pasta. Stir to combine before dividing between two bowls. Serve with a little double cream in a small jug to pour over as you eat
• if wished.