I decided to do something different this month with my Blogger’s Dozen series. As the end of September was nearing, and October was peaking its beautiful head around the corner, I was finding more and more recipes that I wanted to try out on my blog. October is the one month that really has a distinctive taste, in my mind. Filled with pumpkin flavours, strong spices such as cinnamon and nutmeg, and other rich and heavy foods, October’s feasts are a far cry from the light meals of the preceding summer months. No other month, in my mind, has such an obvious palate. 

That being said, I chose to turn to my faithful recipe site, A Beautiful Mess. Or rather, I had asked my husband to do it. I wanted a man’s take on making their recipes, not only because the website mostly caters to a female-based audience, but because Emma’s recipes can be on the long and complicated side and my husband is better at following directions than I am. The first one that we chose was a true October-inspired pasta. I call this, “A Beautiful Take on a Beautiful Messes’ Butternut Squash Pasta.” 

<3

Emory

Butternut Squash Pasta:

2 cups pasta (bowtie is our favourite because it’s dressy and formal)

2 cups butternut squash

1 tablespoon butter

1 cup cream

1 egg yolk

½ cup cheese

salt and pepper

Steps:

1. First off, you need to peel and cube the squash. This can be a bit of a challenge, or so I thought. Perhaps my peeler was just dull, but the skin of squash proved to be like a layer of armour. Luckily Baba’s back-up peeler was an ancient weapon of destruction and made quick work of the squash.

2. Next take the cubes and heat in a saucepan until soft and malleable. Mash up and stir in the egg yolk and continue to heat on medium. Add cream and cheese, continuing to stir. Season with salt and pepper to personal taste and preference.

3. On a side burner prepare the pasta. One tip I learned while I was venturing into the world of cooking is to add a few drops of oil in the boiling water before adding the pasta. This small action will stop your pasta from sticking together as it cooks.

4. Add the pasta to the sauce and spoon onto plate. Serve with grated cheese on top and a sprinkling of salt and pepper. Finito.

This dish is actually pretty quick and easy to prepare as long as you are skilled with a machete or very sharp peeler. Pasta is a great medium to serve with this savory sauce. So don’t be intimidated by a squash. Next time you see one in the grocery store, just think, I got this.

Geoffrey

A Blogger’s Dozen is a series that was launched in 2014. If you would like to be featured in a post, as well as have free advertisement for that month, please contact Emory at helloscarlettblog@outlook.com. Be sure to send any food-related ideas that you may have. Hello, awesomeness!