This turned out really well:
- 3 ounces diced pancetta
- 1 shallot, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- heavy pinch salt
- three or four grinds of black pepper
- 6 ounces diced butternut squash (I used Stahlbush Islands Farm frozen)
- 1 teaspoon dried sage
- 1 teaspoon dried Italian parsley
- 1 cup heavy cream
- pinch nutmeg
- Parmesan cheese to taste
- 1 10-ounce package Rana Butternut Squash Ravioli
Bring 8 quarts of heavily salted water (it should taste like sea water) to a boil in your Cuisinart 12-Quart Pasta/Steamer Pot
Meanwhile, sauté the pancetta over medium heat in your All-Clad 10-inch D3 skillet
Add the squash to the boiling water and cook 3 minutes.
After the pancetta is cooked, transfer it to a paper towel lined plate to drain, and remove all but a tablespoon of the drippings from the pan.
Return the pan to the heat add the shallot and cook for 1 minute. Add the garlic and cook for another 30 seconds. Add the squash, salt, pepper, sage, and parsley, and cook for 1 minute. Add the cream and the nutmeg. Once the cream comes to a simmer, reduce the heat to low and mash the squash using a potato masher (I prefer that to a blender so as to retain some teaxture in the sauce). Grate in Parmesan cheese to taste.
Cook the ravioli in the pasta water for 3 and a half minutes. Transfer the ravioli to the sauce pan using a spider or slotted spoon, but do try to get some pasta water in the sauce.
Plate and top with more freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
We drank a 2013 Jayson Chardonnay (Jayson is Pahlmeyer’s second label). I was expecting a big, buttery, oaky Napa Chardonnay. What I got was a delicious, well balanced, lightly oaked wine with good acidity that made a stellar match for our meal. Stone fruits (peaches and nectarines), green apple, honey, and vanilla. Grade: 91
