“Fusilli ” pasta with butternut squash and sausage

PrimiMar 04 20140 Comments

pastazuccasalsiccia5*Difficulty:Easy  Time:Long

INGREDIENTS (x 4 persons):

  • - 350 g of fusilli pasta (or other short pasta)
  • - 300 g sliced butternut squash
  • - 6 pork sausages or chipolatas (around 200 g)
  • - 1 glass of still white wine
  • - 1 bunch of rosemary
  • - 1 small handful of fresh thyme
  • - 3 garlic cloves
  • - extra virgin olive oil
  • - salt/black pepper
  • - a large handful of grated Parmesan cheese

WHAT TO DO:

  • 1. Take a deep saucepan and cook the garlic cloves in olive oil just right until golden brown on the outside.
  • 2. Add the squash, chopped into small pieces, with a pinch of salt and pepper, the herbs thyme and rosemary. Let it cook until the butternut is soft, approximately 15-20 minutes.
  • 3. In the meanwhile use a sharp knife to remove the skin of the sausages. Then cut them into smaller bits as well.
  • 4. When the squash has softened partly, put the sausages into the pan.
  • 5. Sear for few minutes before you add the wine and let it all cook at medium-high heat until you think the sauce has absorbed the wine. Keep on cooking the sauce until the squash is tender enough (it could take another 5-10 min according to the size of the pieces). Then turn the heat off.
  • 6. In the meanwhile bring the water for the pasta to boil, add a handful of sea salt and boil the pasta (“fusilli”) for about 10-12 min (until ‘al dente’). Please remember to check the cooking time of the pasta on its packaging as it can differ among brands.
  • 7. When the pasta is ready, mix it with the sauce, add some of the pepper and a generous amount of Parmesan cheese. Enjoy It!

TIPS & TRICKS:

  • - This recipe was initially prepared with pumpkin instead of butternut squash, which is more difficult to find in Italy. I have tried to adapt it to the ingredients I can find locally in my London borough. Anyway, the final taste is similar to the original one.
  • -  Same thing for to the sausage: the first time I prepared this dish outside Italy, I used Spanish pork chipolatas. Choose the pork sausage you prefer, it will come out delicious!