Butternut Squash Walnut Pasta

The mix of summer and fall vegetables we’ve been getting in the Local Box has been wrecking havoc on my meal-planning skills. For the life of me I can’t figure out how I would pair apples and okra. But that’s OK – just the sight of those hard winter squash turn me gleeful in the kitchen.

Growing up in the cold, cold north makes me a bit nostalgic for true autumn every time October rolls around. Since we finally got a bit of chill in the air I took the opportunity to put together a comforting meal.

I roast the squash and onions in the oven for a bit to really bring out the sweetness, but if you prefer you can boil the squash until tender.

Butternut Squash Walnut Pasta
Serves 4

1 medium butternut squash
1/2 cup chopped onion
Olive oil
1 cup roughly chopped walnuts
1/2 cup chicken or vegetable stock
Dash nutmeg
2 cups sweet potato greens, washed and torn into pieces
Salt and pepper
8 ounces orecchiette pasta

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Peel butternut squash and dice into 1/2-inch chunks. Toss squash and onions with a drizzle of olive oil, then spread on a cookie sheet and roast for 15-20 minutes.
Cook pasta according to directions on package. Reserve approximately 1/2 cup of pasta water.
While pasta is cooking, heat a large saucepan over medium. Add a swirl of olive oil, and once heated through, add walnuts and cook for about 5 minutes. Add squash and onions, and stir in nutmeg.
Add stock and reduce heat to medium-low. Place sweet potato greens on top and cover saucepan. Let simmer for about 10 minutes, until greens are wilted.
Add the orecchiette and reserved water. Stir through and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Serve with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

Local Box Meal Plan, Turkey Day Edition

This week, I’m giving you a bunch of recipes that will make fantastic Thanksgiving sides. Enjoy, and have a great holiday!

Fuji or Cameo Apples – Apple Country
Butternut or Pumpkin Squash- Gundermann Farms
Daikon Radishes – My Father’s Farm
Red Russion Kale – Acadian
Crimini Mushrooms – Kitchen Pride
Salad Mix – My Father’s Farm
Louisiana Shallots – Acadian
Sweet Potatoes – Naegelin
Arugula – Acadian

The list:

Kale and olive oil mashed potatoes – The recipe says to use fried shallots as garnish, but I’d just chop your shallots and add them to the step where you sautee the kale.

Roasted butternut squash and apple salad – I’m taking a few liberties with this recipe, but running with the general idea. Instead of endive, use your salad greens. And instead of slicing the apples into matchstick-sized strips (that sounds like a lot of work), I’ll just cut it into chunks. Serve the roasted squash and the rest of the ingredients over a bed of salad greens.

Sweet pickled daikon radishes

Warm mushroom salad with Parmesan and arugula – You can buy prepared demi-glace at Whole Foods. In lieu of that, my suggestion is to simmer 1/2 cup of beef broth until it reduces down to 1/4 cup. It’s not exactly the same, but it’ll thicken and provide more flavor than plain beef broth.

Vanilla mashed sweet potatoes – I know I already gave you a mashed potato recipe above, but this one is so different from the first that you can certainly serve both. Think of it as an alternative to sweet potato casserole.