Hi friends!
I swear September is just flying by. So many trips I have been taking it’s been hard to find time to write. But I am here!!
So, the start of the month was very chilly but it is really warming up here in Milwaukee. Like 89 degrees today, no thank you.
Naturally I had assumed fall was here so I unloaded the box of fall candles and such and got into the *~BaSiC~* fall mood. And of course, when I went to the grocery store I stumbled across some butternut squash and figured I should make a sauce from this to feed my fall addiction.
This sauce is SO good and mixed with some fresh tagliatelle pasta and some crispy pan seared scallops, I was in heaven.
Ingredients:
5 large scallops (can sub for any type of protein or can omit entirely)
1 butternut squash- gutted and cubed
1 shallot- minced
5 sundried tomatoes- (the kind packed in oil) sliced
1 bunch of kale- washed & chopped
3 large cloves of garlic- minced
1 cup of wild mushrooms
Fresh herbs- thyme, parsley and sage- add as much or as little as you like (chopped)
Fresh tagliatelle pasta (can use whatever noodle you like but fresh is best.)
1 cup freshly grated parmigano reggiano
1/2 cup heavy cream
Drizzle of truffle oil (or olive oil)
Juice of 1/2 of a lemon
Dash of red chili flakes
Sea salt and ground pepper to taste.
Preparation:
Place cubed butternut squash on a baking sheet and toss in a little olive oil, salt + pepper in a preheated 375 degree oven. Cook for 12 minutes, toss half way. Sauté shallots, garlic, herbs, chili flakes and lemon juice in a drizzle of truffle oil for 2 minutes over a medium heat. Add heavy cream, cook for another minute. Transfer mixture into a bowl with the roasted butternut squash. Use immersion blender (or blend using a blender or food processor) until smooth. Be careful as the mixture will be hot! Transfer the butternut squash sauce back to a large sauté pan and heat over a medium low heat. In a large pot, start to boil the water for pasta and add a little salt for flavor. While the water is heating up and the butternut squash sauce is chilling, sauté kale with a little truffle oil until soft. Moving back to the sauce, add the cheese, sundried tomatoes and mushrooms and stir until the parm is evenly melted in the sauce. Add salt +pepper to taste. Should be nice and thick at this point. YUM. Add the pasta to the water and cook according to the directions. Reserve 1/2 cup of starchy pasta water. Now for the scallops. Make sure they’re completely patted dry and seasoned with sea salt + fresh ground pepper. Place them in a high heat hot pan with a little olive oil and cook for 2 minutes on each side until they have a nice crisp, golden brown crust. Add pasta and kale to the butternut squash sauce and toss until sauce is evenly distributed. If the sauce is a little too thick, throw some of the reserved pasta water in and toss some more until desired thickness. Plate pasta and scallops and toss with a little extra parm and EAT.
Side note- I normally am cooking for one and have leftovers. Most of my recipes can feed 2-4 people, depending on how much one person can eat.
Serve with Pinot Noir or Malbec
foodierunion.com 