Nothing fills the heart and the belly like a big bowl of pasta. Handmade noodles, delicately cut squash and perfectly crumbled pancetta come together for a dish that is big on flavor. If you're looking for a meal to cook with – or for – a loved one this holiday, look no further. The simple, hearty ingredients will warm your home and leave you ready to curl up with your favorite Quilt for a night by the fire. Get ready, let's make some pasta!
INGREDIENTS
For the fresh pasta (you can always just use dried!) -
2 cups flour
3 large eggs
Pinch of salt
For the sauce -
One acorn squash or two small delicata squash, scrubbed and thinly sliced (about 2 cups)
4 oz. Pancetta, diced
About 8 sage leaves
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 tablespoons butter
Parmesan for serving
RECIPE PREPARATION
For the fresh pasta (you can always just use dried!) -
Whisk salt and flour together.
On a clean smooth surface, create a mound of the flour with a hole in the center large enough to hold 3 eggs.
Crack the eggs into the hole, and slowly start to whisk with a fork.
As you whisk slowly begin to add more flour until you end up with a shaggy dough.
Knead dough for about 10 minutes until it goes from dry and shaggy, to smooth and elastic (if it doesn’t absorb all of the flour, not to worry).
Rest dough for 30 minutes before rolling through a pasta machine, or rolling out with a rolling pin and slicing into long wide noodles.
For the Sauce -
Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, cook the pancetta.
Brown pancetta over medium high heat in a large skillet. Remove with a slotted spoon onto a paper towel lined plate.
In the same pan heat olive oil and add squash and a pinch of salt, stirring once or twice until browned, 5-7 minutes.
While the squash is browning, cook the pasta in the salted boiling water, until al dente (fresh will take about 2 minutes, dried will take about 8-10). Reserve 1 cup of pasta water and drain pasta.
When the squash is nicely browned, add the butter and sage and cook until the butter is golden and foaming, just a minute or two, then immediately remove the pan from the heat and add back the pancetta.
Add the pasta to the pan and mix with the brown-butter sauce. Add pasta water as needed to smooth the sauce and coat the pasta. Adjust with salt and pepper, and serve with Parmesan, if you like.