It’s true. We eat with our eyes before we ever taste anything. This fact alone drives many chefs and home cooks to make food more appealing when it’s plated. I’m not very good at this yet, but I’m learning.
Another way to create a beautiful dish is to cook with colors.
I am particularly proud of this dish’s appearance. I think the flavor profile might need a little tweaking, but it was overall a success… and look at those fall colors!
This dish evolved from two main recipes. Now I know that this is going to look like a ton of ingredients, but it’s actually quite simple to make.
The key to cooking well in a kitchen is staying organized. Clean up as you go, keep track of your ingredients, and you’ll be surprised at how easily this dish comes together.
Grab the following:
Directions
Preheat your oven to 450 degrees. Peel and cut butternut squash into small, 1-inch cubes. Place on a lined baking sheet.
Do the same with your apples and onions: peel, cut into large pieces, and combine with squash.
Toss with extra virgin olive oil, salt, pepper, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
Roast for 15 minutes, or until golden and tender.
While your veggies are roasting, bring a large pot of water to a boil. (Enough for your pasta to sit in comfortably.)
Grab a saucepan, and heat oil over medium-high heat. When it’s hot, add the garlic and red pepper. This should only cook for about 30 seconds, otherwise the garlic might burn… and that would be very, very bad.
Add your salt and pepper, then pour in the bottle of wine. I used just about the whole bottle.
…minus one glass for myself, of course. As the chef, I can do that.
When your water comes up to a boil, add a generous tablespoon of salt, then pour in your pasta. Cook for 5 minutes, drain, then add the pasta to your wine mixture.
When pasta is al dente (tender, but still has a little bite), drain and set aside.
Melt three tablespoons of unsalted butter in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat.
When butter begins to brown, lower the heat and add in cinnamon, nutmeg, and sage.
Do you smell that? Your house now smells like fall.
Add your roasted veggies to the butter, then toss to combine.
Take a bite and adjust seasonings.
Find a really big bowl and pour in both your pasta and your roasted veggie mixture. This is where the recipe ends. Your dish will look something like this:
We thought this was a beautiful dish, but both John and I felt like the recipe was missing something.
We ended up adding a good ¼ cup of mascarpone cheese (which I’m convinced will elevate any pasta recipe), and voila! The dish was completely reborn.
Apparently, all it needed was some creaminess. If you like traditional fall flavors — if you like sweet and savory meals — you have to try this recipe.
For the final product, sprinkle on some freshly grated Parmesan cheese (never a bad idea), maybe a little chopped parsley or chives (I was out of fresh herbs, which never happens… except for when I need them most), and there you have it:
A perfect (and colorful) meal for a cool, fall evening.
Chianti Penne with Squash, Apples, and Onions
*Chianti-pasta adapted from NY Times.
*Pasta recipe adapted from Satisfied.
Yields: 6 servings
Total time: about 1 hour
Ingredients
For the wine-cooked pasta:
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ¾ lb penne (whole wheat) pasta
- 1 bottle red wine
For the roasted veggies:
- 1 medium butternut squash
- 2 medium Empire apples (or any tart apple)
- 1 large sweet onion
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon fresh nutmeg
- Fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, for grating
For the sauce:
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 10 sage leaves, chopped
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- Pinch of nutmeg
- ¼ cup mascarpone cheese
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat an oven to 450 degrees. Peel and cut butternut squash into small, 1-inch cubes. Place on a lined baking sheet. Do the same with your apples and onions: peel, cut into large pieces, and combine with squash.
- Toss with extra virgin olive oil, salt, pepper, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Roast for 15 minutes, or until golden and tender.
- While your veggies are roasting, bring a large pot of water to a boil.
- Grab a saucepan, and heat oil over medium-high heat. When it’s hot, add the garlic and red pepper flakes. This should only cook for about 30 seconds.
- Add your salt and pepper, then pour in the bottle of wine. I used just about the whole bottle.
- When your water comes up to a boil, add a generous tablespoon of salt, then pour in your pasta. Cook for 5 minutes, drain, then add the pasta to your wine mixture. When pasta is al dente (tender, but still has a little bite), drain and set aside.
- Melt three tablespoons of unsalted butter in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. When butter begins to brown, lower the heat and add in cinnamon, nutmeg, and sage. Add your roasted veggies to the butter, then toss to combine. Taste and adjust seasonings.
- Combine both your pasta and your roasted veggies in a large bowl. Serve with some freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.
Wow, looks great! Good idea to recreate the wine pasta with chianti. Did you love the buttery, fall, sweetness from the apples and spices? I have got to make this again.
Thanks for stopping by “Satisifed”
Chef Louise
I did! I’m a sucker for warm, fall dishes, and I loved the sweet and savory combo going on here. Thanks for sharing!