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Butternut Squash Sugo

Prep Time:  10 Minutes

     Cook Time:  50 Minutes

     Serves:  4

Sugo is a dish frequently on the menu at Mint Mark where Sean Pharr plays with flavors (and vegetables) to make complex-tasting dishes from simple ingredients. Most commonly, sugo refers to a traditional Italian tomato sauce, but here he combines browned butter, garlic and butternut squash to create a creamy, elegant sauce that is the perfect coating for long, thin noodles.

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 3 garlic cloves, smashed
  • ½ yellow onion, diced
  • 3 cups peeled and cubed butternut squash
  • 1 cup sherry or madeira wine
  • 2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
  • 1 pound spaghetti or bucatini
  • 1 teaspoon sherry vinegar
  • ¼ cup feta cheese
  • 1 bunch chives, minced
  • 1 stick cinnamon, finely grated

Directions

  1. In a large sauté pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Once the butter has melted, add the garlic. Continue cooking, foaming the butter and caramelizing the garlic until the butter is browned. Scrape the bottom as you go to ensure the butter browns, but does not burn. Once the garlic is deeply caramelized, add the onion and cook until opaque, about 2 minutes.
  2. Add the squash, wine, and salt. Cover and reduce heat to simmer until the squash is tender, about 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  3. Puree the squash mixture in a blender or food processor until smooth.
  4. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to package until al dente. Drain the pasta, reserving a cup of the pasta water.
  5. Add the pasta to the sauté pan with the squash puree and a little bit of the pasta water. Stir over low heat until the pasta is coated, adding more pasta water as needed to create a nice sauce. Season with sherry. Taste and add more salt as desired.
  6. To serve, plate and top with crumbled feta, chive and a pinch of cinnamon.

Notes