I love autumn cooking. It marks the welcome return of soups, stews, crumbles and pies, and it brings with it some classic flavour combinations. There's apple and cinnamon, pork and cider, and one of my favourite pairings: sage and squash. The harmonious marriage of sweet, soft and nutty squash (or pumpkin) with the earthy, woody tones of sage is a great example of how opposites can complement each other. If you have fresh sage left over after making this week's recipe, it's no bad thing.

The pungent leaves freeze well and there are plenty of other ingredients that they pair with. I love sage with sausages, particularly in pasta, and I also recommend throwing sliced onions and sage leaves into the tin before roasting a chicken. Sage can cut through rich, creamy flavours, such as potato gratin, too. Crispy sage leaves, meanwhile, make the most fabulous garnish for almost anything (pasta, pizzas, stews, meatballs). Lightly cover the base of a frying pan with oil and fry the sage leaves over a medium-high heat for a minute or two on each side until crisp and dark green.

Transfer to kitchen towel to soak up any excess oil before serving (they will sit happily for scatter hitam an hour). The only thing I would advise against is serving sage uncooked: it is complex and elegant when cooked but tastes a little soapy when raw. 500g squash (butternut or any other eating variety), £1.50; 6 fresh sage leaves, plus more to garnish, 60p 500g fresh gnocchi, £2.25; 100ml single cream, 80p METHOD Peel the squash (a Y-shaped peeler is best).

Deseed and cut into small dice. Set a large, lidded frying pan over a medium-high heat with 2 tbsp oil. Fry 1 finely diced onion for a couple of minutes. Stir in the squash, 1 crushed garlic clove and 1 tsp salt. Cover with the lid and cook, stirring every 4-5 minutes, for about 20 minutes. Shred 6 sage leaves and stir into the pan. Cook for another 5 minutes until the squash is completely tender and caramelised in places.

Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil and go.id cook the gnocchi according to the packet instructions. Drain the gnocchi and tip into the pan with the squash and the cream. Stir gently and briefly over the heat then divide among plates. scatter hitam with grated parmesan, if you like. Some crispy sage leaves on top (see left) are wonderful, too. Do you have a great recipe for eating well and cutting food bills?

Email editor@you.co.uk. If we print it here, we'll send you a bottle of champagne   *This cost assumes you already have some basic store-cupboard ingredients. prices taken from tesco and correct at time of going to press. Illustrations: Ellie Allen-Eslor