Penne With Sage Brown Butter Sauce

We've all experienced it, life getting in the way of blogging. I feel like I have a good routine for blogging. For the most part, my posts come together pretty easily. I try to plan out my posts for the week and whenever possible bake for my baking groups in advance. This week wasn't one of those weeks. We were out of town last weekend. I've been working on securing in home help for my 91 year old father and step mother. Life just got in the way!

As I was looking through my drafts folder, I find I have drafts with photos but no content. I was pleased to see NO dessert recipes in the folder. I think that's a first. :) Lots of pasta recipes in there though, guess you can't win them all! I don't consider myself a writer. I often find myself struggling with what to write and where to find my inspiration. There's so many of you who write beautiful, funny and inspiring blog posts. Where do you get your inspiration?

With winter just around the corner, I am savoring the fresh ingredients from my garden and the farmer's market. My sage seems to be thriving in the cooler weather. Pasta With Sage Brown Butter Sauce is on my Top 50 list! It's always a good feeling to post a date next to an item on my list. Don't you just love browned butter and the flavor it imparts?

Pasta With Sage Brown Butter Sauce
Recipe courtesy of Sidewalk Shoes

•6 tablespoons butter
•20 or 30 fresh sage leaves (or 1 tablespoon dried)
•salt and fresh black pepper to taste
•1 pound pasta (like ziti or penne)
•1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
•Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
Melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Add the sage, salt and pepper. Cook until the butter turns light brown, about 10 minutes.

Salt the boiling water and cook the pasta per package directions. Reserve 2 or 3 tablespoons of the pasta water and place in a warm serving bowl. Drain the pasta and in the serving bowl, toss it with the butter mixture and half the Parmesan cheese. Serve with additional ground black pepper and the rest of the Parmesan cheese.

Serves 4

I am linking this recipe to Foodie Friday's. I am submitting this to Presto Pasta Night's, hosted this week by Ruth at 4Every Kitchen.

Pasta With Butternut Squash & Walnuts

What vegetables do you think of when you think Fall? After months of summer squash, I am ready for their winter counterparts. I'd never cooked much with winter squash until last year. Now I am a big fan. Butternut Squash is so versatile. Besides roasting or preparing a soup, you can make Butternut Squash Risotto and Butternut Squash, Sweet Potato and Pomegrante Soup.

I bought my first winter squash at the Farmer's Market a couple of weeks ago. One of the things I love about these veggies is how long they keep. They are a bit challenging to cut. I've discovered if you microwave them for about 60 seconds, it softens the skin just slightly and they're much easier to cut. Did you know the skin of butternut squash irrates some people's hands? I didn't until I read this recipe. Apparently it can cause a burning or itching sensation. As I was cutting the squash for this recipe, I felt like my hand was starting to burn. I am sure it was all in my head but I dawned the gloves, just in case.

I planted a sage plant for the first time this year but I haven't used much sage. I know I want to to make a pasta with Sage Brown Butter Sauce. Other than that all I can think of is dressing. Do you have a recipe using sage that you love?

As this was roasting in the oven, the house was filled with the most wonderful aromas of garlic, onion and sage. I was tempted to eat the squash right out of the oven instead of saving it for this recipe. The recipe called for pine nuts. Is it just me or have pine nuts gotten even more expensive lately? Walnuts seemed like a perfect substitution. I loved this pasta! It's unique because you pan fry the all of the ingredients together. The butternut squash creates a rich creamy sauce without the addition of any cream.



Pasta Pan-Fried with Butternut Squash, Fried Sage, and Walnuts
Adapted from Serious Eats
feeds 4

1 medium butternut squash
1 small sweet onion, peeled and diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup fresh sage leaves
1 pound farfalle pasta
3/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
4 ounces high quality Parmesan, shredded or shaved (about a cup total)

Heat the oven to 375°. Cut the butternut squash in half and scoop out the strings and seeds the middle cavity. Flip the squash halves upside down and peel them. (Note: The raw squash rind can irritate your hands. If they start to itch or tingle, wear gloves.) Cut the squash into 1-inch cubes. Toss with the onion, garlic, a drizzle of olive oil and salt and pepper. Mince about half of the fresh sage leaves and also toss with the squash.

Spread the squash mixture in a thin layer on a large baking sheet and roast for about 40 minutes or until the squash is soft.

Heat salted pasta water to boiling and cook the farfalle until al dente. Drain and set aside. As the squash finishes roasting, heat about two tablespoons of olive oil in a large high-sided sauté pan. The oil is ready when it pops and sputters. (Don't let it start smoking.) Drop in the rest of the sage leaves and fry for about a minute, or until they begin to just shrivel up.

Remove with a slotted spoon and salt lightly. Crush with the back of a spoon.

Add half the pasta to the pan, along with half the roasted squash mixture. Crumble in half the sage. Cook, stirring frequently, for five minutes or until the pasta is heated through and getting crispy on some of the edges. Add the pine nuts and cook for another minute. Stir in half the cheese and serve.

(Repeat the last step with the rest of the ingredients. We split it into two because none of our pans are big enough to accommodate the entire recipe. It's very important that you not crowd the pan too much - you want the pasta to really pan-fry, not just steam up.)

I am linking this to Foodie Friday at Designs by Gollum . This is my entry for this week's Presto Pasta Nights.

Penne with Sausage and Leek Sauce

Is One Perfect Bite one of the blogs you read? If not, you're missing one of the most amazing blogs on the blogsphere. Mary's photographs are beautiful and her recipes are delicious!! This is just one of many I have bookmarked to prepare.

I really enjoy the simple flavor and beautiful colors of leeks. My favorite leek recipe is this creamy risotto.



Bow Ties with Sausage and Leek Sauce...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite, adapted from Lidias Italian Table

Ingredients:
6 quarts salted water
2 large leeks (about 1 pound)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 sweet Italian sausages (about 6 ounces), casing removed
1 tablespoon minced shallots
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided use
1 cup young peas, blanched in boiling water for 2 minutes, or defrosted and drained frozen baby peas
1 cup canned low-sodium chicken broth
Salt and freshly ground pepper
12 ounces bow-tie pasta (farfalle)
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigian-Reggiano cheese, plus more for serving, if you like

Directions:
1) Bring salted water to a boil. Cover pot to speed up the boiling time.
2) Meanwhile, prepare leeks: Cut off and discard top third of rough green portion and root ends. Remove any brown or wilted outer layers. Slice remaining green and white parts into 1/2-inch-thick rounds. Rinse leek slices in several changes of cold water, swishing them around to remove all soil and grit.
3) In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Crumble sausage meat into skillet and cook, breaking up lumps, until golden, about 5 minutes. Add leeks to skillet and cook, stirring, until wilted, about 5 minutes. Stir in shallots and cook for 1 minute. Add 1 tablespoon of butter, peas and stock. Heat to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer gently for 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, cover skillet, and set aside.
4) While sauce simmers, stir bow ties into boiling water. When water returns to a boil, uncover pot. Cook pasta, stirring occasionally, until al dente (tender, but firm), about 12 minutes. Drain bow ties well and return them to pot over low heat.
5) Add sausage and leek sauce to the pasta and toss well until pasta is coated. Remove pot from heat, add remaining 1 tablespoon of butter and grated cheese. Toss well. Serve immediately, passing additional grated cheese if desired. Yield: 6 servings.


I am linking this to Foodie Friday at Designs by Gollum and Presto Pasta Nights hosted with week by Thyme For Cooking.

Corn and Basil Pesto

What's your favorite way to enjoy fresh corn? I grew up only eating corn ON the cob. As a child, I can't ever remember a dish where the fresh corn was taken off the cob. With corn so plentiful right now, I wanted to try at least a couple of dishes using corn off the cob.

This pasta with corn pesto recipe from Epicurious seemed like a perfect choice. It’s a homemade pasta sauce recipe using fresh corn and basil . The recipe called for bacon, I didn’t have any so I omitted it. Don’t tell Tim!!! The original recipe used tagliatelle, I used penne. In an effort to eat more healthy, I used whole wheat pasta.

I think I liked this better than Tim did. He thought it had too much basil. Now that may have been because he ate the dish we photographed, so it had extra sprinkled on the top.
I also think the whole wheat pasta takes some getting used to and it may not have cooked quite long enough. I loved the sweet flavor of the fresh corn and the creamy consistency it adds to the sauce. If you didn’t know better you would think cream was used in the dish.

I am linking this to Foodie Friday . This is also my entry for this week's Presto Pasta Nights hosted by Siri of Siri's Corner.

One Year Ago...Rosemary Scones.

Weird Spaghetti

Have you ever had Cincinnati style chili? I first experienced it years ago at Skyline Chili. I loved the flavor. It's a combination of chili and spaghetti with a unique, cinnamon flavor. I've made Cincinnati chili before but it's been years. Recently, while browsing The Food Network site, I found Guy Fieri's recipe for Weird Spaghetti! Weird Spaghetti is Cincinnati style chili.

I am always looking for ways to adapt a recipe for the crock pot. Since I am lucky enough to work close to my house, most days I come home for lunch. I made this sauce at lunch and cooked it on low in the crock pot for the rest of the afternoon. Then all we had to do when we got home was boil the noodles. The night we had this I had yoga class after work and Tim and Michael were going to the baseball game . They boiled the noodles and ate before I got home. I forgot to ask how they liked it until the next morning. They both really liked it but couldn't figure out the spices. If you're looking for a fun and easy meal, give this one a try. Stop back and let me know if your family liked it as much as mine did.





I am linking this to Foodie Friday at Designs by Gollum and Presto Pasta Nights.