Cicatelli with Butternut Squash and Sage

This dish is a classic combination of earthy butternut squash, rich cheese, chewy pasta and savory sage.

Ingredients -

1 Pound Butternut Squash, cut into bite-size pieces (about 3/4 inch in size)
4 Tablespoons Butter
10 Flavorful Sage Leaves, thinly sliced
6 Cloves Garlic, chopped
8 Ounces Gemelli Pasta
5 Tablespoons Crème Fraiche
6 Ounces Fontina Cheese
6 Tablespoons Aged Asiago or Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
Salt, to taste
Fresh Ground Black Pepper, to taste
4 Ounces Prosciutto, diced

Preparation:

Cook the pasta in a large pot of rapidly boiling salted water until al dente.
Drain and save about 1/4 cup of the cooking liquid.
Toss the hot pasta with the hot sautéed butternut squash, and spoon in the crème fraIche and half of the cheese.
Toss the mixture together over a medium-low heat on the stove with a few spoonfuls of the cooking liquid.
Add the rest of the cheese and toss with the pasta.
Then toss in the remaining 1 tablespoon butter, sage, and garlic and season with salt and pepper.
Serve immediately, sprinkled with the prosciutto

Cooking Tip

Recipe Tip

If you aren’t fond of butternut squash you can substitute sweet pumpkin or hubbard. If you decide on pumpkin, sauté it in butter over medium low hear until it lightly browns and is tender but not mushy.

Cooking Tip

Recipe Tip

If you can’t find cicatelli, which are like fat little closed pasta shells, you can use gemelli which is very commonly carried in local super markets.