Penne with Butternut Squash, Swiss Chard and Walnut Pesto
When I bought butternut squash and Swiss chard last week – for centimes, I tell you! — at the Belleville market, I wasn’t sure what I was going to do with them, but I must confess, I was leaning (again) towards some kind of tart.
“Enough with the tarts!” said my tart pans, stacked willy-nilly in the dish-rack, barely dry from last week’s tart madness, which included a walnut tart, a chocolate tart, and yet another broccoli/red bell pepper tart.
One can be too tarty, after all.
X had been going on about pasta, something which I’d gotten away from, but was considering making again now that it was getting cooler.
So, I decided to roast the butternut squash, chop up the Swiss chard (sadly called blettes in French – almost sounds like bleh, doesn’t it?), cook it a bit, and mix it all up with some pasta. For fun, and since I still had a very large sack of walnuts, I thought a little walnut pesto would pull it all together.
It does sound fun, doesn’t it?
And it was. Especially in my new bowls from La Poterie NOT (where they’ve been making handmade terra cotta cassoles for cassoulet in Mas Saintes Puelles, just south of Toulouse, since 1820), which I ordered — and received in less than 1 week! — at the cutest little shop, ever, just down the street, which I’m still doing the happy dance about. My gift with purchase? Two bowls of just-made cassoulet.
Tomorrow’s dinner.
Penne with Butternut Squash, Swiss Chard and Walnut Pesto
Serves 2
1 butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1-inch dice
5 tablespoons olive oil
sea salt
freshly ground pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
1 bunch Swiss chard, well-rinsed and chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
2 tablespoons Walnut pesto, recipe follows
7 oz. whole wheat penne pasta (or the chunky pasta shape of your choice)
Parmesan for serving (optional)
Preheat the oven to 200 C/400 F.
1. On a foil-lined cookie sheet, spread out the butternut squash and drizzle with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, tossing with your hands to make sure all of the squash pieces are evenly coated. Dust lightly with sea salt and freshly ground pepper and slide into the oven until the edges begin to brown, 30-40 minutes.
2. Put your pasta water onto boil.
3. While you’re waiting for the pasta water, drizzle 2 tablespoons of the olive oil into a large skillet and add the minced garlic and let cook for a minute or two over medium heat. When you can smell the garlic, add the Swiss chard and cook until it reduces in size, but isn’t mushy. Add the butternut squash and stir until combined. Taste for seasonings.
4. Cook the pasta, drain — making sure to save 1 cup of the pasta water — and add to the Swiss-chard-butternut squash mixture in the skillet, now turned down to medium-low heat. Add 2 tablespoons of the walnut pesto and as much pasta water as you need to evenly coat the pasta and the veggies with the sauce. Serve immediately with freshly grated Parmesan.
Cowgirl Tip: I roast the butternut squash and cook the Swiss chard in advance, and simply warm it up while the pasta water’s cooking.
Walnut Pesto
Makes about 1 ½ cups
1 clove garlic
1 cup walnuts, toasted
2 oz. Pecorino
3 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley
5 tablespoons olive oil (you may need less; just add a bit at a time)
1-2 tablespoons lemon juice
½ teaspoon lemon zest
sea salt
freshly ground pepper
Put the garlic clove in a small food processor and pulse a few times to chop. Add the walnuts, pecorino, flat-leaf parsley, olive oil, lemon juice and zest and pulse until mixed. Taste for seasonings, and let rest in the fridge for at least an hour before using.
Cowgirl Tip: This pesto would be great spread on toasted bread with grilled pears as an easy appetizer.
