Sour Apples (36 page)
Nicky makes her own pappardelle at the restaurant. It’s easy to do, and you don’t need a pasta machine. But you can buy the noodles and they’ll work just as well.
1 large butternut squash (enough to make 6 cups when chopped)
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp butter
½ cup water
3 tbsp Marsala (optional, or you could substitute sweet sherry)
salt
1 pound pappardelle, or other hearty pasta
5 oz soft blue cheese (you can buy crumbles)
Peel, halve, and seed the squash and cut into roughly one-inch cubes.
In a large heavy saucepan (you’ll be adding the pasta to
it later), sauté the onion in the oil until it just begins to turn golden. Stir in the butter and the squash. Add the water (and the Marsala/sherry if you’re using it). Cover and reduce the heat. Simmer for about ten minutes, or until the squash is tender but still holds its shape.
Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil, and add a big pinch of salt. Cook your pappardelle or other pasta according to the package instructions.
Season the squash-onion mixture with salt (the blue cheese will add more salt later) and remove the pan from the heat.
Reserve a half-cup of the pasta cooking water, and then drain the pasta. Add it to the squash mixture and mix gently. If it appears dry, add the reserved cooking water. Stir in the blue cheese.
Transfer to a large serving bowl. You may garnish it with chopped fresh sage in you like.
Makes 6 generous servings.
