Chef Bobby’s Butternut Squash Pasta

Chef Bobby’s Butternut Squash Pasta Ingredients • 1 butternut squash weighing about 2 1/2 pounds • 1 pound pasta • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil • 1/3 cup chopped shallots or onions • 1/4 cup packed, freshly grated Parmesan cheese • 1/3 sour cream or heavy Cream or coconut milk • pinch of grated nutmeg • 1 tablespoon chopped parsley, for garnish • 1 teaspoon salt, more to taste • Pepper, to taste • Water as needed to thin the sauce, about 1 cup Bake the butternut squash: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Cut the butternut squash lengthwise in half and scoop out the guts and seeds and discard them (or save the seeds and toast them). Pour 1/4 cup of water into a baking dish and place the butternut squash halves cut side down. Bake for 40 minutes or until a fork easily pierces the squash. Allow to cool for 10 minutes. Scoop out the squash flesh from the skins and put into a blender. Discard the skins. Sauté the shallots: in the olive oil over medium heat in a small skillet until just beginning to brown, about 2-3 minutes. Purée in blender: Add the shallots to the blender. Add 1 cup water, the parmesan, 1 teaspoons salt and 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg and blend until smooth. Taste and add more salt if needed. If the sauce is too thick, thin it with a little coconut milk or more water. • Add sour cream or coconut milk or cream and heat until warm: 
Pour the sauce into a small pot set over low heat. Mix in the sour cream and warm it through. Do not let the sauce boil. 

Cook pasta in boiling salted water: 
Fill a pot with water and salt (1 tablespoon of salt for every 2 quarts of water). Set over high heat to bring to a hard boil. Add the pasta and cook at a hard boil, uncovered until al dente. Do not over cook pasta. Mix cooked pasta with sauce: When the pasta is ready, drain and put it into a bowl. Mix with a little of the sauce and serve. Add a dollop of additional sauce and some parsley right when you bring it to the table. I sautéed sage leaves for a garnish and sprinkled hot pepper seeds. Of course more Parmesan. Chef Bobby Nahra Encore Catering & Banquets Freedom Hill Banquet & Events The Blossom Heath Inn HOOK SCS