squid ink pasta

If you're looking for a more low-key way to ring in Halloween, then enjoy a festive, color-coordinated pasta dish at home. If you loved electric-pink rigatoni this time last year, then you'll find black-and-orange pasta just as fun. Squid ink provides the midnight color while roasted butternut squash lights the dish up with an incandescent glow. Make it even creamier by adding a generous pat of butter and a shower of freshly-shaved pecorino romano. For the spirited and spooky recipe, read on.

A good chef never does anything without a purpose and last weekend at SF Chefs, Matt Accarrino of SPQR wasn't shelling crab for nothing. He was teaching a small crowd how to make one of his restaurant's dishes, fresh squid ink pasta with dungeness crab, sweet peppers, and basil. While he talked us through the complex process, he provided some helpful insight into his cooking style. To see the chef's pointers, keep reading.