In response to Chris’ call for a squash recipe for his Brooklyn Brownstone found squash, here’s a simple little pasta with sweet butternut and nutty brown butter.
It makes a quick busy day dinner and it’s even better with quick cooking homemade or good quality store bought fresh pasta. Serve with a fall salad of bitter greens, apples and walnuts.
Another way to use up that special squash is to make a simple gratin. Peel and slice the squash very thinly. Layer it in a baking dish with freshly grated Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper and dots of butter. Pour cream over to cover and bake at 400 degrees until brown and bubbly. So good!
Fettuccini with Roasted Butternut Squash, Sage & Brown Butter
Serves 4
1 small butternut squash, about 1 pound
1 lb fettuccini noodles
3 tablespoons butter
10-15 whole sage leaves
1/3 cup cup pine nuts, lightly toasted
Dry Jack or Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
Peel the squash, cut it into one-half inch cubes, toss with a little olive oil and salt, and roast in a single layer in a 400 degree oven for 15 minutes, or until tender and brown.
Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to package instructions. In a small skillet, over low heat, warm the butter and sage. Cook without stirring until butter turns a light caramel color.
Drain the pasta and toss while still hot with the squash, butter and sage. Add the pine nuts and top each serving with thin shavings of cheese (a vegetable peeler works well for this) and a little cracked pepper, and serve immediately.
I made something similar to this last night, except I brushed the roasting squash with nutmeg, cinnamon, brown sugar and butter.
Wash excellent!
Beautiful! I will this this weekend after the Farmer's Market.
Beautiful! I will try this this weekend after the Farmer's Market.
mark bittman has a yummy version of this. i love it!
Has anyone else had an allergic reaction when peeling butternut squash? I cooked some last year and the skin on my hand where I handled the uncooked squash peeled off.
Thank you so much for this scrumptious dish! I made it on Friday evening and everyone eagerly filled their plates for seconds. It's definitely going in the Big Hit recipe file.
lauradot: no! my goodness. i find it slimy and occasionally itchy, but i always associate that with the starches drying on my skin.
if you don't suffer any other ill effects from the stuff, maybe wearing latex gloves will solve the problem. but perhaps you should pay attention to any other food sensitivities and bring the list to your doctor. food allergies can develop suddenly (i learned myself).
Tonight, I mean to cube up some leftover butternut squash, saute it, mix in some caramelized onions, a splash of marsala, a handful of spinach (from a local farmer), a scattering of smoked mozzarella, and serve it with some whole-wheat farfalle. I'm at odds at whether to use a white sauce, some vegetable broth, or brown butter to add a saucy component. Opinions?
i made this on monday night. i did change it in one way because i *hate* peeling squash: i cut the squash in half, removed the seeds, and roasted it for about an hour. that way, i was able to scoop out the roasted squash easily.
it was delish and made great lunch leftovers!
In answer to your question laura dot, yes, I've had the same strange reaction to butternut squash. I cut some squash last night and now the skin on my thumb and forefinger of my left hand is peeling off. Very odd. I'm eight months pregnant and therefore hope it's not a food allergy - could be bad for the baby.
Does anyone out there know anything about allergic reactions to butternut squash?
deedar14
I was hoping to find an answer to my strange skin reaction to handling butternut squash. The skin on the entire palm of my left hand (hand that held the squash as I struggled to peel & slice it) has turned tight and rough and peely. It also feels weird like tingly. Very weird. I will ask my father-in-law in the morning. He is an epidemiologist. I'll let you know what he says.
mmm, this sounds good. I had some similar flavors going--butternut & sage--going in this risotto I made:
http://cookingchat.blogspot.com/2006/11/butternut-chicken-risotto-with-fresh_15.html
To miss kitty, deedar14 and laura dot:
I just had the same thing happen to me this evening. Miss kitty's discription is exactly what happened to my hand. After washing my hands a couple of times, I slathered vitamin E cream on my hands. It's been a couple of hours now and it seems to be subsiding. Very weird. It's some kind of irritant contact dermatitis. That there are 3 people on this site to mention it makes it more common than thought but can't find any info. on it. Let me know if you find out anything. thanks
Allergic reaction also occurred with my 12 year old daughter, she said her palm felt tight and rough and dry after helping me peel and cube a butternut squash tonight. No amount of washing or moisurizer helped.
I am so glad that I am not alone in my problem with butternut squash! My thumb turned orange and tight, with odd "dents" in the skin. It only affected my one thumb -- and didn't affect my husband at all. I'll have to ask my dermatalogist.
The same allergic reaction just occurred with me while slicing a butternut squash. The best thing to do is to neutralize the squash acid, but putting a paste of baking soda and water onto your hands. It will stop the acid-peel. Funny, I'm thinking this may be a great exfoliant! :-)
Yes, I just finished cutting up butternut squash and just rinsed my hands in cool water. Then it startedfingers and palm tightening and drying and peeling. Could be good for acne wierd, huh?
I wouldn't put on latex gloves to peel the squash. People who are allergic to latex may also cross-react with squash. There is a protein in squash that is similar to that in latex and so people who are allergic to latex are encouraged to stay away from squash.
Thomas S. Potter, Ken Hashimoto (1994)
Butternut squash (Cucurbita moschata) dermatitis
Contact Dermatitis 30 (2), 123–123.
Thanks for posting about this problem, I don't feel so alone when this happens to me anymore. I'd really like the full text of the article I cited above, but my university doesn't have the full article. It maybe of some help to other sufferers.
Has anyone suffered any symptoms beyond the skin irritation?
RE: butternut squash
I am not sure what caused the reaction. I suspect it could be the acorn squash that I had eaten in a stew a week ago the roasted acorn and butternut squash seeds later that evening. I had a severe allergic reaction which resulted in massive hives all over my body and my face and eyes swelled shut. The reaction took over 24 hrs to reach its peak.
Has anyone else has a reaction to squash or the seeds?
I get small bumps on my arms after they come in contact with the leaves of summer squash and zucchini plants. It doesn't happen if I wash right away, otherwise the bumps usually go away in an hour or two. This happens when I hand pollinate the flowers.
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