Pasta con zucca e funghi
Pasta with Winter Squash and Mushrooms
Ingredients
- 350g (12 oz) pasta
- 250 g (8 oz) mushrooms, cleaned of any grit and sliced or cut into pieces
- 250 g (8 oz) winter squash, peeled, de-seeded and cut into small dice
- 1-2 shallots, finely minced
- A sprig or two of fresh sage or rosemary
- Olive oil and butter
- Salt and pepper
Optional
- 50g (2 oz) Speck or prosciutto, cut into fine strips or dice
- 50g (2 oz) freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano
- A few sprigs of fresh parsley, stems removed and finely minced
Instructions
- Put a large pot of well-salted water on to boil for the pasta.
- In a large sauté pan, brasier or wok, sauté the shallot gently in olive oil and a nob of butter. Take care they don't brown.
- When the shallots have softened, raise the heat a bit and add the mushrooms and toss. Sauté over moderate heat until the mushrooms have softened and lost their excess liquid.
- Add the diced squash, seasoning generously with salt and pepper. Continue sautéing for a minute or two.
- Now add the herbs and drizzle in a few spoonfuls of water and cover. Simmer for 5 minutes or so, until the squash is tender, stirring from time to time and adding a few spoonfuls of water as needed to prevent things from drying out. When the squash is tender, remove the herbs.
- While the mushrooms and squash are simmering, start cooking your pasta.
- When the pasta is just ever so slightly underdone, add it to the pan with the mushrooms and winter squash, along with a ladleful of the pasta water and, if using, the freshly minced parsley and/or the Speck or prosciutto. Toss over low heat, perhaps a minute or two, until the condimento coats the pasta nicely.
- If using the cheese, add it at the very end, along perhaps a half ladleful of the pasta water. Toss again until the cheese has melted into a creamy coating for the pasta.
- Serve immediately sprinkled if you like with a pinch of minced parsley for color.