Last October, at the closing of the JP Farmer’s Market, Mr. X and I went a little overboard with squash. And I’ve been a little worried since then that it wouldn’t really last through the winter. Every few days I’d go into the pantry and check it out, worrying that it seemed a little waxier, a little more orange, than last time. When one of them (a pumpkin) developed little mushy green spots and a decidedly unwell appearance, I tossed it and decided it was about time the others were cooked.
I’d already done a stuffed acorn squash, a spaghetti-style spaghetti squash, a pan-seared delicata, and I wanted to try something kind of different. So I set to perusing my new Williams-Sonoma Pasta cookbook (How much do I love Williams-Sonoma cookbooks? Everything else in the store is crazy overpriced, but they make such gorgeous cookbooks!). Then I bastardized the crap out of the recipe I found.
This was actually a pretty fast, easy meal, except for the peeling of the acorn squash. If you buy already peeled and cut squash, it would take 25 minutes, tops.
Peeling the squash wasn’t quite as difficult as I expected, but it still wasn’t easy. Perhaps I just need to perfect my method. I sliced the squash in half first, and scooped out the seeds. Then I set about attacking each half with a paring knife. That wasn’t working so well, so I switched to a vegetable peeler. I was worried that the peeler wouldn’t be tough enough, but it proved its worth quickly. Of course, getting the peel out of the squash’s indented ribs wasn’t working so well, so I cut the squash again, into wedges, and peeled the skin off the edge of each wedge. Time consuming and kind of messy, but I’m a slave to my stove, and Crystal’s tastebuds.
Acorn Squash and Sausage with Gemilli
- 1 acorn squash, peeled and diced
- 2 sweet Italian-style chicken sausages, sliced (they were already cooked, but if I had found some not already cooked, or was using regular sausage, I would just peel off the casing and crumble the sausage into the pan, instead of slicing them)
- 2 c. gemilli pasta
- 2 T. olive oil
- 1 shallot, chopped into sliverr
- 4-5 fresh sage leaves
- 1 c. chicken stock
- a dash of allspice
- salt and pepper
- a splash of balsamic vinegar
- parmesan for topping
Set a pot of salted water on to boil. Cook the pasta while you’re cooking everything else. If your timing is right, the pasta (gemilli takes about 15 minutes) should be ready at the same time the squash stuff is ready.
In a large dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium heat, and add the shallot. Cook, stirring, until it’s nice and soft, but not quite browned, about two minutes. Add the squash, sausage, allspice, and a little salt and pepper, and saute for another minute or two. Lower the heat to medium-low, add the chicken stock, cover, and let simmer for about 10 minutes. You don’t want to stir it, because that will cause the squash to break apart, and you want it to stay in chunks. It’s basically a quick braise, sort of.
When the squash is tender, and the pasta is done, add a splash of balsamic, and the chopped fresh sage, to the squash, and mix it up a little. Then add the pasta, and toss it so the pasta gets coated with the remaining liquidy bits. Grate some fresh parm over the top, and eat away.
I love it when stuff tastes awesome and is even good for you.