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04/16/08 |
                          
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Autumn Harvest Pasta
Yield: 4+ portions
1# butternut squash 1# kabocha, acorn or other autumn squash 2 oz. walnuts, chopped & toasted 1.5 oz. sweet white wine (like chardonnay) 8 oz. heavy cream 2 t. garlic, minced 1 oz. parmesan cheese 1 oz. olive oil 10 oz. nutmeg pasta (recipe to follow) Salt 'n' pepper to taste
To make pasta: Use one egg to 3/4 to 1 c. AP flour (depending on the moisture of your environment). For this recipe, two eggs' worth of pasta is just about right. Make a well with your flour (reserving some in case pasta is wet), crack 2 eggs in well, blend with 1/8 tsp. of olive oil, 1 tsp. nutmeg and stir gently into flour. Pasta dough will be very dry and very stiff, but knead it as best you can (it's gonna be hard). Allow to rest for 30 mins at room temperature to soften up. Roll to about 1/16" thick (or thinner, about #6 if you have a pasta rolling machine), cut to desired width (tagliatelle or peppadelle are perfect here) hang to dry until cooking time. Roast squash with a squirt of olive oil, salt 'n' pepper until softened in a 400 degree oven. Cut into large cubes and set aside. Heat garlic and oil in pan until garlic begins to change color (approx. 30 secs.). Add squash and sauté until garlic is golden. Deglaze with white wine, add cream and reduce by 1/4 to 1/2. Add cheese just to melt, add fresh pasta, toss and serve.
Note from GG: it's come to my attention that my recipes are getting more and more "cook-like" and less and less "kitchen-like." Basically, that means that I assume that anyone reading my recipes has a modicum of kitchen experience and/or knowledge, so they know what "deglaze" or "sauté" means. I do this merely for the economy of language, so if you have a question, please feel free to email me. I'd be glad to clear up any misconceptions my recipes may have caused. I didn't really know much about squash and how to cook it until last year at school when we made what was perhaps the best lasagna I've ever eaten. Ever since then, I've been more accepting of adding squash to recipes, or focusing recipes around them (as I've done here). This is a really filling dish, by the way, so you won't need much more than a salad or something to go with it. Not quite as heavy as my old boss's avocado pasta that he made for me once, but you'll know you're full. This particular recipe was culled from my mom's house, which contained most of the ingredients listed. If not for the lack of heavy cream, this would all have been spawned by Mom's pantry. I love having access to fresh veg 'n' stuff. Beautiful. Also, if you don't feel like making fresh pasta (for which I TOTALLY don't blame you), you can use store-bought-fresh or dried pasta, but maybe add a 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg to the sauce. That flavour *really* needs to be in there to make this dish sing.
This site was last updated 12/20/06 |
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