Food & Recipes

Winter Squash: Recipes and Tips

Winter Squash Recipes continued...

If you can't find sheets of fresh pasta, you can use lasagna noodles, cooked until al dente and well-drained.

3 1/2 tablespoons whipped butter, divided use

3 cups cubed, partially thawed frozen butternut squash (available in the frozen section at Whole Foods), or fresh butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 3/4-inch cubes

3/4 cup diced fennel bulb (also called anise), 1/4-inch dices

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

3 tablespoons chopped shallot

1/4 cup water

6 fresh pasta rectangles (about 6 inches by 4 inches), available at Whole Foods and other specialty markets

Canola cooking spray

6 fresh sage leaves, cut widthwise into thin strips

2 tablespoons minced shallot

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

Salt and pepper to taste (optional)

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons of butter over medium-high heat in a large, nonstick skillet until foam subsides. Add squash, fennel, salt and pepper. Sauté, stirring occasionally, until golden (about 4 minutes). Lower heat to a simmer, then stir in shallot and water, cover skillet, and simmer until the vegetables are tender (about 8 minutes). Turn off heat, remove cover and let the mixture cool.
• While vegetables are cooling, start 2-3 inches of water boiling in a large saucepan. Add sheets of pasta and gently boil until al dente (about 2-3 minutes). Gently transfer the pasta sheets to a bowl of ice and cold water to cool. Drain well and pat dry on paper towels.
• Add cooled butternut squash mixture to food processor and pulse to blend. (If you don't have a food processor, just mash the mixture until relatively smooth.) Coat a 9 x9-inch baking dish with canola or olive oil cooking spray. Set one sheet of pasta on a plate coated with canola or olive oil cooking spray. Spread 1/4 cup of the filling along the short end of the rectangle and roll up to create a cannelloni. Place it seam-side down in the prepared baking dish. Repeat with remaining pasta sheets and filling. Coat the top of the cannelloni with canola or olive oil cooking spray.
• Bake until cannelloni is hot and the pasta is starting to lightly brown (about 12 minutes). While cannelloni is baking, heat 3 tablespoons whipped butter over medium-high heat in small, nonstick saucepan and stir until foam subsides. Add sage and 2 tablespoons shallot and sauté until sage is crisp, about 2 minutes. Turn off heat. Stir in lemon juice, fresh parsley, and salt and pepper if desired.
• To serve as a first course, place one cannelloni on a small plate and drizzle one-sixth of the brown butter and sage mixture down the center of the cannelloni.