Even though I’m crunched for time this month, I’ve got all these food photos clogging upmy desktop, just begging me to write about them. So I’ll try to squeeze in a post every now and then. I’ll be back in full swing in April.
I really love the flavor of butternut squash, but the stringy texture sometimes bothers me. Because of this, I particularly like items that contain it in mashed or pureed form. We got lots of butternut squash from our winter CSA, which has been over since January (sniff-sniff) but will resume in April. Kind of like my life.
But the squash. At one point I had three of them in a basket on my counter, staring at me, begging to be eaten. The usual preparations (roasted with chicken or mashed with sweet potatoes) weren’t calling to me, so I thought of a restaurant favorite – butternut squash ravioli. That was out of the realm of possibility for a weeknight, but I knew I could make a butternut sauce and replicate the taste. After poking around the internet, I found this recipe from Everyday Food. I made two changes. I used 1/2 chicken broth and 1/2 half-and-half aiming to use less dairy. Also, not surprisingly, I topped the pasta with bacon.
Butternut-Squash Pasta Sauce
Serves 8
1 medium butternut squash (about 1 1/2 pounds)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon dried rubbed sage
Coarse salt and ground pepper
5 cloves garlic, peel on
1 cup half-and-half
Pasta (such as cheese ravioli or any short pasta), for serving
Toppings, such as grated parmesan cheese, chopped toasted walnuts, finely chopped fresh sage
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Using a large, sharp knife, trim ends; halve squash crosswise to separate bulb from neck. Peel with a vegetable peeler. Cut both pieces in half lengthwise. With a spoon, scoop out seeds; discard.
Cut squash into 2-inch chunks; transfer to a small rimmed baking sheet. Toss with oil and sage; season generously with salt and pepper. Scatter garlic around squash. Roast until squash is very tender, about 40 minutes, tossing once halfway through. Remove and discard skin from garlic.
Transfer squash and garlic to a food processor; puree. With motor running, add half-and-half through the feed tube; process until smooth. Add 1 to 2 cups water; continue to process until smooth, adding water to thin if necessary. Season again generously with salt.
Cook pasta according to package instructions. Reserve 1 cup pasta water; drain pasta and return to pot. Pour sauce over pasta; toss to coat. Add some pasta water to thin sauce if necessary. Serve with desired toppings.
From Everyday Food
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