Fresh Pasta with Herbed Winter Squash and Shrimp
Why I Love This Recipe
I made this with a buttercup squash and it was delicious-the flavors really complement each other. It was inspired by a dish I saw Giada deLaurentis make on her show last week-she used butternut and also added Japanese eggplant. I increased the squash and dropped the eggplant because I couldn't find any at the farmer's market. I also added fresh rosemary, lemon thyme and sage from my garden.
Ingredients You'll Need
1/4 c extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
a small squash (one butternut, two acorn or one buttercup), peeled, seeded, and cut in 1/2 inch pieces (about 7 cups)
1T fresh rosemary or1 tsp dried rosemary, chopped
1 1/2T fresh thyme, chopped (I used a combo of regular and lemon thyme)
1 t fresh sage, minced
1 1/4c dry white wine
2 c fish broth or veggie broth (I made a quick broth with the simmered shrimp shells)
2 lbs uncooked shrimp, peeled and deveined
salt and pepper
17.5 oz fresh egg pasta (I made fettucini, but spaghetti would also work well. you could also substitute dried pasta, just adjust the cooking time at the end)
1/4 c unsalted butter
Directions
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and saute until tender, but not browned, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and saute for another minute. Add the squash, rosemary, thyme and sage and saute for 8-10 minutes. Watch the heat to prevent the onions and garlic from browning. Add the wine and broth and bring to a simmer. Decrease the heat to med-low and simmer until the squash is just tender and the liquid is reduced by about half (it took about 15 minutes). Stir occasionally and gently. Add the shrimp and simmer gently until almost cooked through, about 3-5 min. depending on the size of your shrimp. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to boil over high heat. Salt well and add pasta. Cook until tender, but still firm, 4-5 minutes and drain. I timed it so I was dropping my pasta the water right before I added the shrimp to the sauce. That allowed me to add the hot pasta to the sauce almost immediately and it prevented it from sticking together.
When the pasta and shrimp are cooked to the correct doneness, add the pasta to the skillet along with the butter. Toss everything gently until the liquid thickens slightly. Transfer everything to a wide, shallow bowl and serve.
Generously serves 6
