Butternut squash pasta

Butternut squash might compete with potatoes for the 0h-so-very-coveted “Christine’s favorite vegetable” title. Those who know me (most if not all readers) know it is astonishing that anything could come anywhere near the mighty potato. Potatoes will always have a place in my heart, but with dishes like Butternut squash cavatappi, the gourds are moving in.

Butternut Squash Cavatappi
makes 3-4 servings

- 1 Medium butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1 ½” cubes
- 2 T butter, melted
- 1 T thyme
- ½ c milk (must have some fat %, and hey - if you put in cream instead I won't tell anyone.)
- ½ c chicken stock (optional)
- 1 t sherry vinegar
- 1/3 c parmagiano reggiano, grated
- ½ lbs. cavatappi (see below)
- 1 chicken breast
- 1 t olive oil, plus more for garnish
- salt and pepper
- Fresh Basil for garnish

Preheat oven to 375F. Toss the butternut squash with the butter, thyme and liberal amounts of salt and pepper on a baking sheet. Roast in the oven for 30-45 minutes (Should be caramelized and sweet).

About 30 minutes into the baking of the butternut squash, boil lots of water for the pasta. Salt the water really well (we’re talking almost a ¼ c of salt) when it comes to a boil. Boil the cavatappi pasta until al dente. Reserve about a cup of the cooking liquid and drain the pasta in a colander and set aside.

Cavatappi means tap extractor (or corkscrew) in Italian. It’s exactly what it sounds like – little curly cues of pasta. The ridges on the outside (rigati, sp?) help the sauce stick to the pasta. Cavatappi is probably my favorite short pasta.

Season the chicken with salt, pepper and olive oil. Grill on medium heat for 15 minutes while you prepare the sauce. It always takes longer than you think to grill chicken breast and I tend to grill it on a lower heat so the outside doesn’t burn before the inside is cooked. After the chicken is cooked, let it rest for 3-5 minutes on a cutting board, then slice.

In the same pasta pot that was used earlier (because I hate dirtying extra dishes) blend the roasted butternut squash, sherry vinegar, ¼ c parm, and milk with an emersion blender. If you don’t have an emersion blender, just use a blender or food processor. Add either the reserved pasta water or chicken stock, if you’ve got it, to thin the sauce out. The sauce should be pretty thick, but still barely pourable. Toss the pasta with the sauce (make sure the pasta comes back up to temp), taste for seasoning, and serve in big bowls. Top with the sliced chicken, reserved parm, fresh basil and a drizzle of the best olive oil you can find.



My Grade: B+ (could use more salt in this particular execution)
Recipe grade: B+
Diagnosis: Affordable and tasty. If you already have the sherry vinegar and olive oil, the entire dish should cost no more than $7 to make. It's a very flexible recipe so if you don't have fresh basil or parm or something, just omit it - it will still be pretty good.