Butternut Squash Baked Ziti

I'll be honest. Sometimes, I have those days. You know the ones, where everything is just so annoying, and everything seems to go wrong, and really the only thing keeping you functioning throughout the day is the ever-too-distant hope of sleeping, in your bed. For a very, very long time.

Okay well suffice to say, this dish pretty much negates all of that. Even while making it I was driving myself crazy — every clang of a pot only serving to escalate my caustic attitude — but, once it was done, and I was sitting in my slippers, listening to relaxing music, and holding this steaming bowl of delight in the then-sweaty palms of my hands, it was totally worth it. Also now I'm going to sleep like a baby.


Butternut Squash Baked Ziti (Serves 5 - 6)
Adapted (loosely) from Jamie Oliver's book Cook With Jamie.
Ingredients:

•  About 8oz of dried Penne Pasta
• 1 medium Butternut Squash
• 1 teaspoon Coriander Seeds
• 1 teaspoon Fennel Seeds
• 1 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon Red Pepper (cut this in half if you want something milder - it carries quite a punch)
• 1 large handful of Toasted Pine Nuts (around half a cup)
• Sea Salt and Black Pepper
• Olive Oil
• Parmigiano Reggiano (you can get it at Costco, dear Alaskans. It'll change your life)
• Fresh Parsley for garnish

Seriously, this is a great recipe. I made Jamie's version a long while ago and was simply taken aback at the wonderful flavors. However, he made it as a lasagna in his version, and I wasn't particularly thrilled with the texture. Everything turned to a mildly unpleasant baby-food-mush. Needless to say, I began to ponder how I could improve the recipe to my liking and came up with a pseudo baked ziti. Traditionally ziti is a tomato-based sauce, with layers and layers of cheese (never a bad thing). But despite being a bit unconventional, I thought this recipe would benefit really nicely from the crispy, almost chewy surface of a ziti. I also threw in some touches like extra cheese and toasted pine nuts for interest.

Please note I left the skin on the squash for this recipe. This is what Jamie did and I think it gives it an interesting texture, but if the idea of eating squash skin sounds gross to you, don't hesitate to peel it first. Additionally, you could also get a bag of pre-cubed frozen squash. It's not quite the same, but it's close enough to make the lack of hassle worth it if you're in a hurry. Okay okay, moving on to the good part.

First preheat your oven to about 400ºF. Cut the end off your squash, and then cut it down the center vertically. Use a spoon to spoon out the core and all the seeds. Then chop it up into large chunks roughly the same size. Get out a nicely sized baking dish, throw in the squash with a good swig of olive oil, and add a hefty pinch of salt and some freshly ground black pepper. Set aside.

Put the coriander, fennel and red pepper in a mortar and pestle (if you don't have one, get one. Okay in all seriousness if you don't have one, try using a spice grinder or even a coffee grinder) and bash them up. Add the cinnamon and a pinch of sea salt and mix it up. Scoop up the spice mixture and layer it evenly over the squash. Use your hands to mix everything up, making sure the olive oil and spices coat everything. Cover the dish with tin foil and bake at 400ºF for about 30 - 35 minutes.

About ten minutes before the squash will be done, bring some heavily-salted water to a boil. Once it's boiling, add your pasta and stir occasionally. My tips on cooking pasta is to always set your timer for 2 - 3 minutes less than the cooking instructions say. When the timer goes off, try a noodle. If it's still too hard or chewy, go for another minute, until it's al dente. I do this because most american cooking times will make the pasta too soft and mushy, and this way you can get it just perfectly.

While the pasta is cooking, put a non-stick pan on high heat. Once the pan is hot, throw in your pine nuts and toss them for 30 - 60 seconds, or until golden brown. Pour them directly onto the squash mixture (which should be done by this point).

Once the pasta is done, strain it of most water and mix it in with the squash mixture. You might need to add another swig of olive oil to get everything to coat properly. Once your ingredients are well mixed, add copious amounts of freshly grated parmesan cheese, until the surface is thoroughly coated. It should look something like this:

Sprinkle some extra salt on top (if you're feeling dangerous, a few knobs of butter would be deadly, as well) and throw back in the oven, uncovered, for another 15 - 20 minutes, until the cheese is starting to turn golden brown. To serve, scoop onto a plate and garnish with another layer of parmesan and parsley to garnish.