Butternut Squash Agnolotti With Bacon And Aged Balsamic Recipes

BALSAMIC GLAZED BUTTERNUT SQUASH

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• In a large bowl combine all ingredients and mix to coat the squash.
• Place squash on a nonstick baking sheet or a baking sheet lined with foil. Bake until the squash is tender and brown about 30 to 35 minutes making sure to flip the squash after 15 minutes.

BUTTERNUT, BACON AND APPLE HOTDISH

Steps:

• For the filling: Lay the bacon in a large oven-safe skillet (I like to use a cast-iron pan or braiser) and turn the heat to medium. Cook, flipping once, until crisp on both sides, about 7 minutes total. Remove from the heat and place on a paper towel-lined plate to drain and cool slightly.
• Drain half the bacon grease from the skillet, leaving just enough to coat the skillet. Add the onions and turn the heat to medium-high. Saute until soft, about 10 minutes. Add the squash, thyme, some salt, a few turns of pepper and a few pinches of crushed red pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, 10 more minutes. Add the wine and broth. Roughly chop the bacon and add it to the skillet along with the apples. Bring the mixture to a light boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, while you make the biscuits.
• For the biscuits: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Add the butter and, using a food processor, pastry cutter or your hands, incorporate the butter until the mixture is the consistency of raw oatmeal. Mix in the cream until the mixture comes together to form a dough. Turn it out onto a floured work surface, pat it out to 3/4-inch thick and then cut out round biscuits, re-rolling scraps as needed.
• Turn off the heat before dotting the top of the skillet with the biscuits. Brush the biscuits with the beaten egg and top with black pepper. Bake until the biscuits are golden brown, cooked through and flaky, about 25 minutes. Remove from oven and serve right from the skillet!

AGNOLOTTI WITH SAUSAGE AND RICOTTA FILLING AND BURST CHERRY TOMATO & PANCETTA SAUCE

Steps:

• Put the flour onto a clean dry work surface. Make a hole (this is also called a well) in the center of the flour pile that is about 8 inches wide (bigger is definitely better here). Crack 5 eggs into the hole and add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and 2 teaspoons of kosher salt. Using a fork, beat the eggs together with the olive oil and salt. Using the fork, begin to incorporate the flour into the egg mixture; be careful not to break the sides of the well or the egg mixture will run all over your board and you will have a big mess! Also, don't worry about the lumps. When enough flour has been incorporated into the egg mixture that it will not run all over the place when the sides of the well are broken, begin to use your hands to really get everything well combined. If the mixture is tight and dry, wet your hands and begin kneading with wet hands. When the mixture has really come together to a homogeneous mixture, THEN you can start kneading. When kneading, it is VERY important to put your body weight into it, get on top of the dough to really stretch it and not to tear the dough. Using the heels of your palms, roll the dough to create a very smooooooth, supple dough. When done the dough should look VERY smooth and feel almost velvety. Kneading will usually take from 8 to 10 minutes for an experienced kneader and 10 to 15 for an inexperienced kneader. Put your body weight into it, you need to knead! This is where the perfect, toothsome texture of your pasta is formed. Get in there and have fun! When the pasta has been kneaded to the perfect consistency, wrap it in plastic and let it rest for at least 1 hour. If using immediately, do not refrigerate.
• Heat a large saute pan over medium-high heat with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the onion, a pinch of crushed red pepper and kosher salt to taste. Saute the onion until translucent, 5 minutes. Add the sausage and break it up with a spoon. Cook, stirring occasionally, 7 to 8 minutes or until the sausage is browned. Add the sage and stir to combine, then deglaze the pan with the white wine and reduce until the wine has cooked off, 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and let it cool down slightly.
• Add the ricotta, 1 cup of Parmesan and the remaining egg into a large bowl. Mix well to combine. Add the sausage mixture into the ricotta and mix to combine. Scoop the ricotta and sausage mixture into a pastry bag and set aside.
• Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil into a large saute pan and turn on the heat to low. Add the pancetta and gently cook to slowly render the fat, stirring occasionally, until the pancetta is crispy and most of the fat has rendered out, 10 minutes. Add the cherry tomatoes, 1/2 cup of chicken stock, a pinch of crushed red pepper and kosher salt to taste. Cook on a gentle simmer until the cherry tomatoes have softened and burst and the sauce has reduced, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the remaining 1/2 cup of chicken stock and continue to cook until the sauce has slightly thickened, another 5 or so minutes.
• Unwrap the pasta dough and cut off one third, keeping the larger piece covered. Using your hands, flatten the dough and sprinkle it with a little flour. Pass the dough through the pasta roller on the widest setting (mine is #1), then fold each end towards the center in thirds, like an envelope. Dust with more flour, then pass through the machine again. Repeat this process 3 to 4 times, folding the dough and flouring each time. Decrease the width to #2 and pass through the machine. Fold again and dust with flour. Continue to #3 and repeat, just folding and flouring once until you've reached #5. Lay the pasta sheet onto your board and arrange some basil leaves on one half of the sheet. Fold the dough in half to cover the basil leaves, dust with more flour, then pass through the machine one more time on the thinnest setting (mine is #6), so the basil leaves become part of the pasta dough sheet. Set aside and cover. Repeat with the remaining dough and basil leaves.
• Place the sheets of dough onto a floured surface. Lightly brush the lower half of each strip (the part closest to you) with water. Snip the corner off the pastry bag. Pipe 1-inch mounds of filling, 1 inch apart, onto the middle to lower half of each strip. Fold the dough over the filling to meet the bottom edge that's brushed with water. Press around each ball of filling with your index fingers, making sure there are no air bubbles. Cut out the agnolotti using a fluted pasta wheel. Transfer to a baking sheet dusted with semolina.
• Set up a large pot of boiling water and generously season with kosher salt. It should be as salty as the sea. Add the agnolotti and cook for 2 to 3 minutes.
• Add the cooked agnolotti directly from the boiling water into the sauce along with 1/4 cup of the pasta water. Toss to combine until the pasta is nicely coated. Add 1/4 cup of the Parmesan, most of the sliced basil (leave a bit for garnish) and a big fat drizzle of nice extra-virgin olive oil and toss to combine.
• Plate, then garnish with more Parmesan and sliced basil.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH AND BACON LASAGNA

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 ̊ F. Stir the butter and flour in a small bowl to make a paste. Cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium-high heat until crisp, about 10 minutes. Remove the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons fat from the skillet.
• Add the onion to the skillet and cook until softened, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic, parsley, sage and Italian seasoning and cook until the garlic is softened, about 1 minute. Season with 1 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Stir in the milk and heavy cream; bring to a simmer. Whisk in the butter-flour paste and cook until thickened, about 6 minutes. Remove from the heat; stir in 1/2 cup Parmesan and the bacon.
• Combine the mozzarella and fontina in a bowl. Spread 1/2 cup of the cream sauce on the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch baking dish; top with 3 lasagna noodles. Top with a layer of butternut squash slices, overlapping them, then 1/2 cup more sauce and 1/3 cup mozzarella-fontina mixture. Repeat the layering 5 more times (noodles, squash, sauce, cheese), using up all the squash. Top with the remaining 3 noodles, then the remaining sauce and mozzarella-fontina mixture. Cover with foil and bake until the squash is tender, 35 to 40 minutes.
• Mix the breadcrumbs and remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan; sprinkle over the lasagna. Bake, uncovered, until golden, 15 minutes. Let sit 10 minutes before serving.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH PASTA WITH BACON AND PARMESAN

Steps:

• Set a rack in the center of the oven and heat to 375 degrees.
• Add the butternut squash to a large baking sheet. Drizzle 2 tablespoons olive oil over the top and season with red-pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Toss to combine, then spread the squash into an even layer and bake for 15 minutes.
• While the butternut squash bakes, in a small bowl, toss the red onion with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil.
• After the squash has cooked for 15 minutes, give it a stir and push it to one side of the baking sheet to make room for the onion and bacon, trying to keep the squash in one layer. Add the red onion to the pan, then lay the strips of bacon in a single layer next to the onion.
• Return the baking sheet to the oven for another 30 minutes and cook, stirring the squash and onion after about 15 minute. The bacon should be crisp and the vegetables cooked through and beginning to caramelize at the edges. (They don't have to be super golden brown, but a little color is nice.)
• Just before the vegetables and bacon are done, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta until al dente according to package instructions. Reserve 1 cup pasta water, then drain the pasta and return it to the pot to keep warm if necessary.
• When the vegetables are tender and the bacon crispy, take the baking sheet out of the oven and carefully transfer the bacon to a cutting board. Coarsely chop the bacon.
• Add the butternut squash, onions and any bacon fat to the pot with the pasta. Add about 1/2 cup Parmesan and 1/2 cup pasta water to the pot and stir everything until well combined. You want the squash to break down a bit and coat the pasta; add more pasta water as necessary to coat the pasta with the squash and cheese.
• Stir in half the chopped bacon, then season with salt and pepper to taste. Divide the pasta among bowls or plates. Top with chives, parsley, black pepper and the remaining Parmesan and bacon. Serve immediately.

ROASTED BUTTERNUT SQUASH WITH BALSAMIC VINEGAR

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a cookie sheet with foil. Cut the squash lengthwise in half. Seed and cut it into 3- to 4-inch squares, with skin intact. Score the flesh with crosshatch cuts about 1/2 inch deep. Rub all over with olive oil.
• Set the pieces, skin side down, on the cookie sheet and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake 45 minutes, or until easily pierced with knife and lightly browned. Serve hot or at room temperature, sprinkled with balsamic vinegar.