- 2 Butternut Squash
- olive oil
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1/8 cup flour
- 2 cups hot milk
- 6 ounces goat's milk cheese
- 1 tablespoon Gourmet Gardens® Minced Garlic
- Sea salt
- McCormack Peppercorn Medley®
- Ground thyme
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 16 ounces (dry) shell pasta
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Directions:
Cut two butternut squashes in half length-wise. Scoop out seeds and stringy flesh and discard. Place all four halves on metal pan. Generously cover exposed flesh with olive oil, using your fingertips to work it into the flesh. Generously salt and pepper. Sprinkle with thyme. Roast for 55-60 minutes, until fork tender. The top will be browned.
Scoop out the flesh of one butternut squash (both halves) and purée. You will need 1/2 cup for this recipe. You can freeze the rest in 1/2 cup portions for making this or other recipes at a later date.
Score the other butternut squash (both halves) down to the peel in a grid, so that you create one inch cubes. Separate the cubes from the peel. You may end up with a bit of light colored inner peel on the bottom of the cube that you will want to trim away.
Bring a large pot of water to boil, adding a bit of salt and olive oil to the water. Boil the shell pasta 12 minutes (or according to the package directions).
Start the sauce at the same time as you add the pasta to the boiling water. In a large (5 quart) sauteuse pan, melt butter and garlic and let it simmer. As it is simmering, heat up your milk.
Add flour, slowly, stirring constantly. Allow mixture to turn golden brown, stirring constantly. It should look a little bit foamy.
Slowly, stirring constantly, add the milk to the mixture. Allow to simmer strongly, still stirring. Whilst it is simmering, add in nutmeg, 1/8 teaspoon thyme, 1 teaspoon sea salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. The sauce will reduce and thicken.
Once it has thickened, stir in the goat milk cheese. It will eventually melt and disappear into the sauce as you continue to stir. Then add 1/2 cup puréed roasted butternut squash to the sauce and stir thoroughly.
Finally, drain the pasta after it finishes cooking. Then add drained pasta and cubed roasted butternut squash to the sauce and toss. Serve warm.
Myrtle's Note: This will freeze well. When re-heating, add a bit of milk or heavy whipping cream to the bowl before you put it in the microwave.
Yield: 6-8
Source: Myrtle's head!
