Nigella Kitchen Papardelle with Butternut Squash and Blue Cheese

Happy New Year!!!!

 I do plan on doing a real post sometime soon, or rather a post with some sort of writing.  But sometimes, usually right after the holidays and the back to work schedule, other things are calling out for attention when I get home at the end of the day.  There are some Christmas photos still to share though so works out perfectly.

But first, I wanted to share this recipe because it was delightful (imagine sing-song voice here). Usually, I'm not a huge pasta eater (or cooker).  I'm pretty convinced that our upbringing has a bit to do with what foods we cling to as adults.  Sure there are new foods that we grow to love as adults, or childhood foods we will NEVER voluntarily eat as adults (oh the childhood trauma of green bean casserole) but I've noticed that many have a preference for the "starch" they grew up with.  Guiseppe sits in Thailand eating pasta almost nightly, I have a midwestern friend who swears he needs potatoes daily, and some of us with asian blood, well, we need rice.  I'm pretty sure I've gone months without pasta--which is why this dish was a delightful (same sing-song voice again) pasta treat...butternut squash and sage is always delightful. It's so delightful, you could even leave off the blue cheese if you are not a fan.  That's four "delightfuls" in case you were wondering.

Technically I didn not have papardelle, but I did use a big fat substantial pasta so kind of the same idea. it was a perfect hearty pasta for the butternut squash "sauce."  And of course, a girl who throws spinach into Blueberry Bars is absolutely going to find a way to throw it into pasta.  It was a perfect addition, but for the record, Nigella's recipe did not call for spinach. Silly girl.

Nigella called for over a lb of pasta.  Since I'm more of a veggie girl I only used half a lb. The perfect thing about pasta recipes in general is that you can very often adjust the ratio of pasta to sauce to your preference.

Nigella notes that the sauce can be made 1 day ahead — simmer until the squash is tender, then transfer to a nonmetallic bowl to cool. Cover and refrigerate, then reheat gently in a saucepan and proceed as directed.

Pappardelle with Butternut Squash, Blue Cheese and Pine Nutsadapted from Nigella Kitchen by Nigella Lawson

1 medium red onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
3/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 large butternut squash, peeled, deseeded and cut into 1-inch cubes
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
3 tablespoons Marsala
1/2 cup water
salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 fresh sage leaves, finely chopped (or 1/2 teaspoon dried sage)
8-16 oz  pappardelle or other robust pasta based on preference
5 oz  soft blue cheese, crumbled

Fry the onion in the olive oil over a medium heat in a large, heavy-based pan that can accommodate all the pasta later. After about 10 minutes, add the paprika. Add the cubed butternut squash, then add the butter, stirring everything together well in the pan. Add the Marsala and water. Once the mixture starts to simmer, put the lid on, turn down the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the squash is tender but still holds its shape. Season to taste (keeping in mind that the cheese will be salty too), then sprinkle the sage into the squash mixture, reserving some to garnish.
Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling, salted water according to the packet instructions. Toast the pine nuts in a separate hot, dry pan, tip them into a bowl and set aside.
Before you drain the pasta, reserve a mugful of the cooking water. Add the drained pasta to the squash and slowly stir to combine. Add some of the pasta cooking water to help the sauce emulsify, then add the blue cheese and half the pine nuts. Gently combine, then sprinkle the remaining pine nuts and sage on top and serve.