Oh, so yummy

I made this amazing dish tonight, and had to share it with you all immediately. It is so delicious…wide noodles with sweet butternut squash, pine nuts, spicy arugula, and fresh sage. Justin was oohing and aahing throughout the meal, proclaiming it “better than restaurant food.” I must say I agree…the flavors and textures blend well together, but still somehow manage to remain distinct.

In other news, I (finally) watched the new Pride and Prejudice, and I loved it. I haven’t read any of Jane Austen’s books, but now I’m tempted to. My heart was aflutter throughout the film, hoping that Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy would end up together. It made me realize just how much I love romance…real, divine romance. Romeo and Juliet. Amelie and Nino. Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy. I like new romantic comedies as well, but I’d like to find more of those epic romances, whether in book or film form. Any recommendations, dear internets? (One caveat: they MUST have happy endings.)

In return for your romance suggestions, I offer you this wonderful recipe.

Pappardelle with Roasted Butternut Squash, Arugula, and Pine Nuts

  • 4 cups (1-inch) cubed peeled butternut squash
  • 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
  • 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
  • Cooking spray
  • 8 ounces uncooked pappardelle (wide ribbon pasta) or fettuccine
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 2 tablespoons pine nuts
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 cups trimmed or baby arugula
  • 1/2 cup (2 ounces) grated Parmesan or Asiago cheese
  • 1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 475ร‹ลกF.

Combine squash, vinegar, oil, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a large bowl; toss well to coat. Arrange squash mixture in a single layer on a jelly-roll pan coated with cooking spray. Bake for 25 minutes or until tender and lightly browned, stirring occasionally.

While squash bakes, cook pasta according to package directions. Drain pasta in a colander over a bowl, reserving 1 tablespoon cooking liquid.

Melt butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add pine nuts, sage, and garlic; cook 3 minutes or just until pine nuts begin to brown, stirring occasionally. Place pasta, reserved cooking liquid, pine nut mixture, and squash mixture in a large bowl; toss gently to combine. Add remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, arugula, cheese, and pepper; toss gently to combine. Serve immediately.

Makes 6 servings.

Source: Cooking Light magazine.

10 responses to “Oh, so yummy”

  1. oh, you must must must watch the BBC version of pride and prejudice–it’s absolutely BEAUTIFUL and much better (and much more faithful to the book) than the new film. And it’s 6 hours in total (it was screened as a series), so even more romance…

  2. I was going to recommend the BBC P&P, but Paulinka beat me to it. It’s so much better than the American movie version. Also Gone with the Wind (another long one, but it’s impossible only to watch part of it…the book rocks as well). On the contemporary side, you can’t go wrong with Say Anything or Pretty in Pink ๐Ÿ™‚

  3. hello tia! well lets just say omg your cooking is so delicious! i was looking at this just now and my bcis teacher just saw it and said now she thinks she will have to try out some of your recipes the whole class said hi and that we all enjoy looking at your blogs! love you! i so need to email you will do tonight or this weekend…. I LOVE YOU TIA! xoxoxoxo

  4. yes, the bbc’s Pride and Prejudice is much much better, with whole swaths of dialogue taken straight from the book. Also… Colin Firth. the new movie, while visually appealing and some aspects it probably closer to the truth of what life for the Bennet women was like, took way too many liberties for everything else. And I love allll of Jane Austen, I even took an English class on her senior year cause I love her so much.

  5. I came here by way of Sarah Dyer’s jinjur.com, and I have to tell you – I love all your recipes and tales about your life in Austin. You have a really lovely, inspiring blog.

    As for romance films, I third (or fourth) the rec on the 1996 BBC “Pride and Prejudice” (which is more complete, although I still love the latest version with Keira Knightley and Matthew MacFadyen). But may I also steer you toward these very fine adaptations of other Austen books: Ang Lee’s “Sense and Sensibility,” the Gwyneth Paltrow AND Kate Beckinsale versions of “Emma” (I’m partial to the Paltrow version), and my favorite of all, 1995’s “Persuasion”? For some reason, Austen purists hate both “Sense and Sensibility” and “Persuasion” (something about both Emma Thompson and Amanda Root being too old to play the heroines in these adaptations), but I love the films, and I also love the books.

    You might also want to check out a very good version of Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night” that was done in Britain in the late ’90s. Not Austen, but a beautiful version of one of Shakespeare’s most romantic comedies.

    Please keep those wonderful recipes coming! I loved the pumpkin cake recipe — have already made it twice! Thanks!

  6. Well, it looks like I’ll need to rent the BBC version soon, since so many of you have recommended it…thanks, guys! Bearette, I love Pretty in Pink! And Sandy, thanks for your kind words. I’ll look for the films you recommended as well…I saw a version of Twelfth Night with Helen Hunt once, which was great…is that the one you’re referring to? Thanks again, everyone!

  7. Oh! I love Pride and Prejudice – I went to an all-girls high school, and when we had to study it we watched the old version with Colin Firth and almost every single girl in our year level fell in love with him!

  8. The “Twelfth Night” I mean is the one directed by Trevor Nunn — it stars Helena Bonham-Carter, Tobey Stephens, Imogen Stubbs (Nunn’s wife) and Ben Kingsley. It’s a really wonderful adaptation.

  9. Jane Austen is one of the best English writers who ever graced this planet. Seriously. I too am partial to the BBC version of Pride & Prejudice. Colin Firth is beautiful and truly captures the essence of Mr. D’Arcy. Must run home and rewatch that version!

  10. I just made this for dinner tonight and IT. WAS. AWESOME.
    I did add in some italian sausage because we’re a family of five non-vegetarians with not a small amount of testosterone in the mix. Read: teenage boys want meat.
    Everyone in the family loved it, and that rarely happens. Thanks so much for the recipe.
    And to answer your earlier question about my recipes, I made them in Quark, then exported them as a PDF. Then I made them a jpeg. That was probably a really stupid way to go about it, but that’s just how it happened. I need to set up an Illustrator file as template for future recipes that I can just plug type into. Then I can get a better looking blend in there. Sorry for the boring graphic designer speak, but you DID ask ๐Ÿ™‚
    Thanks again for the great recipe. Everything you make looks delicious and I’ll be trying more of your suggestions.

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