If you spend any amount of time on facebook, you've no doubt seen those mesmorizing Tasty Videos that pepper newsfeeds far and wide. For those of you who have not seen them, they're short food videos that take you through a tasty looking recipe from first to last. They take food porn to a whole new level, but more importantly they are done in a way that not only draws people in, but makes recipes look simple enough for any skill level to successfully execute. Though not all of their recipes strike my fancy and I'm quite sure some of them look or sound better than they really are, I'd say this new trend is a win. I think these recipe videos have and will continue to inspire people to try new foods, to take on more complicated recipes, and to cook more dinners at home, which are all excellent steps in a good direction. Especially at this time of year when things are so hectic that cooking a meal at home can seem like a mission.
Since coming across the butternut squash Alfredo recipe about a month ago, I've made it twice; it's that good. I really like its depth of flavour, its creamy texture, and the fact that you can achieve this with result without the use of cream.
Did I mention this little number comes together all in one pot!?
Butternut Squash Alfredo
3 cups diced butternut squash (about half a squash) 1 cup of vegetable stock or water 4 Tbsp butter 1 cup onion, diced 1 Tbsp rosemary, minced 1 Tbsp sage, minced 2 cups milk 1 cup parmesan 2 Tbsp brown sugar 1/4 tsp nutmeg Salt and pepper (to taste)
1 1/2 cups milk 1 1/2 cups water Fettuccini noodles (375 grams) In a large pot melt the butter. Add onion, rosemary and sage. Cook for 3 minutes on medium heat until onions soften. Then cook on medium-high heat until the butter begins to brown (be careful not to burn it). Add in the butternut squash and stock or water, stir, then cover and cook for 15 minutes (until butternut squash is softened). Uncover and mash with a potato masher until you’ve squished all the squash. Add 2 cups of milk and stir. Then, add parmesan and stir. Add brown sugar, nutmeg, and salt and pepper to taste and stir until well blended. At this point you can cook your pasta in boiling water and then add the sauce to it OR you can cook it in the sauce! To be honest I find cooking the pasta in the sauce to be far more labour intensive.
To cook in the sauce, break fettuccini noodles in half and place in the sauce. Carefully cover the noodles with sauce. Then, pour in 1 1/2 cups of milk and 1 1/2 cups of water and stir. (Add more water, if needed, to smooth out the sauce.) Stir the pasta continuously (to make sure it doesn’t burn on the bottom of the pot) and cook for 15-20 minutes (or until pasta has reached desired texture). Top off with salt and pepper, parmesan cheese, rosemary garnish, and cayenne pepper (if you’d like a little extra spice). Enjoy!