Not Your Everyday Pasta....

Being that I find myself in a position to consider all carbs to be evil pound-inducing tools of the devil (is that too harsh?? :) I try - mind you I don't always succeed - but I do try to avoid them.  However...and a very big however we do find ourselves in the midst of the 2011 Atlanta winter storm --- so guess what?  We eat what we got and today....it's pasta!

I decided an everyday run-of-the-mill pasta wasn't going to cut it, so the fridge comes open and I go on a hunt.  What rabbit can I pull out of my hat on this one?  What ingredients do I have that would produce this super-fantastic winter pasta?  The result:  Butternut squash, onions, swiss chard.  Done!

Pasta truly has endless possibilities, but you really have to get out of the "marinara" state of mind to really get that.  Gone are the days are canned pasta sauces; here are the days of well...pretty much what you want.

So while we're on pasta - let's chat about actually cooking it.  Here are some guidelines when actually cooking your pasta:

• Water to Pasta Ratio.  The rule of thumb is 5-6 quarts of water for each pound of pasta.  Bottom line: think lots of water.  Not having enough water will cause the pasta to stick and uneven cooking. 

• To Add Oil or Not to Add Oil?  NO!!  If you've got plenty of water, you don't need oil.  

• To Add Salt or Not to Add Salt?  YES!!  I generally throw a small handful in; but the rule is 1 TBSP for every quart.  Seems a bit much to me; but you're not consuming the stock so don't worry about the sodium content.  

• To Rinse or not to Rinse?  NO!!  I never, ever rinse my pasta.  The starch that attaches itself to the pasta helps make a great sauce!  I don't even DRAIN my pasta....I use a pasta ladle to fetch it out to retain as much of the starch as possible.  

•  When is it done?  How do you know how long to cook it?  Well - matter of choice here really.  I like my pasta just past the al dente (firm but not hard) stage.  The best thing I've heard about testing the pasta - throw it against a pan, a wall - whatever - is to simply taste it:)  Know that even once you remove the pasta from the water, it will continue to cook slightly.  To me - overcooked pasta is a mushy, horrible mess.  So I'd be safe, not sorry:)

• Add the Sauce to the Pasta or the Pasta to the Sauce?  My choice here is to add the pasta to the sauce.  The extra heat from the sauce in the pan will help infuse the flavors throughout the pasta and help coat the pasta - especially if you're using pasta shapes that "hold" sauce.  (shells, etc) 

OK - on to our creation...

Our Dish:  Penne with Butternut Squash and Swiss Chard

1. Preheat the oven to 350'ish.
2. Food Prep.  Squash, Onions, Garlic, Swiss Chard (see below) 
3. Peel a butternut squash; cut in half and then cut it into 1/2 inch cubes.
4. Put the squash into a large bowl; drizzle with olive oil; add s/p, 1/2 tsp of freshly grated nutmeg; 1/2 tsp of cinnamon.  (Vary these amounts if you have a large squash.) Toss the squash to ensure all cubes are well coated. Spread the squash on a cookie sheet and roast until a fork pierces the squash easily, but not mushy.  Do NOT overcook it - err to the side of a little undercooked than overcooked here.  Remove the squash when finished; set aside.
5. Start your pasta.
6. Saute some finely sliced onions and garlic in a mixture of olive oil and butter.  Add s/p. Key here is to do this on medium-low heat.  If the heat is to high your onions will not caramelize; they'll burn.  Constantly stir the onions to ensure even browning.  
7. Remove the stems from the swiss chard, finely dice and add to your onion mixture.  Coarsely chop the green leaves of the chard and set aside.
8. Once you can see your pasta is about 5min from being done; toss your squash in with your onion mixture and stir to incorporate; add the green leaves of the chard and cook for about 1 min or so -- just enough to wilt it.
9. Add about 1/4 to 1/2 cup of chicken stock to get all your ingredients incorporated and reduced down nicely.  Ladle in your pasta to the vegetables and toss.  Top with Parmesan :)

Keep in mind, this ain't no marinara pasta:)  This dish is savory and the nutmeg and cinnamon just make it.  (Another alternative here is fresh sage)  Allow this dish to sit overnight and it's even better the next day.  Keep in mind when re-heating you may need to add some chicken stock to it just to give it a little more "sauce".

So there ya go ---- enjoy:)  I am!