- 1 small butternut squash, about 1 1/2 pounds, peeled, seeded, and cut in 1/2-inch dice
- 3 garlic cloves, unpeeled, lightly crushed
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- 2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary or sage (to taste)
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 3/4 pound pasta, either long pasta like spaghetti, or penne (I used farfalle, which were perfect)
- 2 ounces ricotta salata, grated, or 2 ounces crumbled goat cheese (I couldn’t find either in Charleston and used Parmiggiano Reggiano, no I didn’t look at Whole Foods)
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
Farfalle With Roasted Butternut Squash
I got this recipe from the New York Times Recipes for Heath Section, which I am going to more and more frequently for their fantastic recipe suggestions. I made the mistake of doing some grocery shopping at Whole Foods, forgetting that it is actually called Whole Paycheck and paid $8 for a butternut squash, it seemed a bit excessive for a seasonal vegetable, but I did buy it at whole foods, so I’m the fool. Since this was the most expensive squash I’ve ever bought I didn’t think that I should just make soup out of it, but wanted something a bit more exciting and used half of it for this pasta dish, the other half will be tomorrow’s post.
Pasta With Roasted Winter Squash and Ricotta Salata adapted from the New York Times
Preheat the oven to 425ºF. Cover a baking sheet with foil. In a bowl, toss the squash with the garlic, salt, pepper, rosemary or sage, and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil until all of the squash is coated with oil. Transfer to the baking sheet, place in the oven and roast for 30 minutes, or until tender and caramelized.(I recommend tossing them halfway through so that they don’t burn on the bottoms.) Remove from the heat. Remove the garlic cloves and discard. Transfer the squash to a wide pasta bowl and add the cheese. Keep warm.
Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil and add the pasta. Cook al dente, following the timing instructions on the package but checking the pasta a minute or two before. Ladle about 1/2 cup cooking water from the pasta into the bowl with the squash and cheese and stir together.
When the pasta is ready, drain and toss with the squash mixture, the remaining tablespoon of olive oil, and the parsley. Serve hot.
Yield: Serves 4
Advance preparation: The squash can be roasted several hours ahead. Reheat for about 30 seconds in a microwave when you cook the pasta.
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