The Food Maven Diary
[Archives]
Pasta and Squash
Perhaps the most insulting question I get asked - and there are some duzies - is "Who writes your books?" Next in line is "Are your recipes tested?"
Let's start with: I am a writer. Even after all those years on the radio, I still consider myself a writer first. I am compelled to write. I like telling stories. I don't just do it to earn my living. I do it because I have some inner need to do it. As I used to write on the blackboard the first day of class when I taught writing at the New School; "Writers write." Even if he doesn't have an assignment, a writer is compelled to write. I write (and re-write) every word of my books, which, as I hope you can picture, means sitting here at this desk everyday for many hours and punching keys on the computer; that is, when I am not staring into space.
(Funny anecdote: When the illustrious writer E.B. White celebrated his 50th wedding anniversary, a reporter asked him, "To what do you owe the great success of your marriage."
White answered: "My wife understands that when I am staring at the wall, I'm working.")
Incidentally, many cookbooks these days are not written by their supposed authors - chefs, TV food-show personalities, etc. They have ghost writers. Or sometimes they are written by acknowledged, not uncredited (ghost) writers. So, I guess, there is some small reason to think I don't write my own books.
Next: I am a cook. I love to cook. I find it much more relaxing than writing, which is very nerve-wracking. When someone just the other day asked me if my recipes have been tested, I was so taken aback that I answered "No, they are lived with."
I make the recipes I publish over and over again, not just to perfect the recipes - the proportions, the seasoning, the pan sizes, the temperatures, etc. - but to check myself, to check that the directions are clear and, if followed precisely, will result in a dish that is close to - for better or worse - what I think it should be. Then I have other people cook the recipes - not professional kitchen testers, but my friends and family, sometimes friends who are sort of kitchen challenged. They make great testers because they ask questions an experienced cook might not. Unfortunately, most people these days need precise recipes. They don't feel secure enough with their cooking skills to just wing it. Given that, I feel my recipes need to be as hand-holding as possible, without going on and on for pages.
I also happen to like the food I write about and sometimes I cook it only because I want to eat it. The following recipe is a case in point. Beautiful squash are coming into the market now, and I had brought back from Naples some special pasta, so I cooked Pasta e Zucca, pasta with squash, for my friends. It's a very standard, traditional, homey southern Italian dish. I have to say it was a great success. So much so, my friends wanted to know how to make it for themselves.
I told them there's a recipe for Pasta e Zucca in "Naples at Table: Cooking in Campania," which, by the say, is celebrating its 10th anniversary this month. After I looked at the recipe, however, I realized that my Pasta e Zucca has evolved over the years. I now make it slightly differently than I did 10 years ago. For one thing, I now don't bother to cook the pasta separately and add it to the squash. I cook the pasta in the same pot and in the same water in which the squash cooked, with the squash still in the pot. The starch from the pasta thickens the dish - a sort of soup. Another difference is that I have taken to adding some rosemary (sometimes), and using a little pancetta along with olive oil.
I have never written this recipe down before, but I have "tested" it plenty. I probably make it a half dozen times a year, and always make it for my fall classes at Seliano. If you have any trouble with the proportions or directions, however, don't hesitate to ask questions. You can always write to me at mavensmail@aol.com.
(Since I sent out the above as a newsletter two days ago, I've gotten some feedback on the directions. My nephew, Dr. Brian Alexander, made it for dinner and helped me refine them. He is a very good "tester." )
To my kosher and vegetarian friends: Leave out the pancetta. No substitute is necessary, and the amount of oil, 4 tablespoons, is enough without adding any more. If you would like a dish that is vegetarian, but "meaty," add a few small cubes of smoked cheese at the very end-ideally, smoked scamorza, but smoked mozzarella is excellent, if a little stringy.
PASTA E ZUCCA
(PASTA AND SQUASH)
Serves 6 to 8
1 3½ to 4-pound butternut squash
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 ounces (2 ¼-inch thick slices) pancetta, cut into small cubes
2 to 3 large cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
1/4 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes, or more to taste
1 tablespoon rosemary leaves (optional)
7 to 9 cups water, maybe a little more
1� teaspoons salt, or more to taste
12 ounces pasta mista, broken spaghetti or small tubular pasta, such as pennette or ditali (see note)
Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or pecorino
To peel the squash, use a large, very sharp knife to cut the bulbous bottom off the cylindrical top. Cut the top in half crosswise and place each half on the work surface, a cut side down. Cutting down, cut off the hard rind of the squash, then cut the squash into 1-inch or slightly larger cubes.
Cut the bulbous bottom lengthwise, then scoop out the seeds with a spoon. Discard the seeds. Peel the bottom of the squash, then cut it into more or less 1-inch cubes.
In a deep and wide pot, combine the olive oil and pancetta. Place over medium-low heat and let the pancetta cook for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Do not let it brown.
Add the garlic, hot pepper and optional rosemary (I left out the rosemary the other night because I made chicken with rosemary. Rosemary in the pasta and squash would have been too much rosemary in one meal.). Raise the heat slightly and cook another 2 minutes, letting the garlic sizzle gently. Do not let the garlic color.
Add the squash cubes and continue to cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, for about 10 minutes, until the surface of the squash seems to be getting cooked.
Add the 7 cups of water. Bring to a boil and boil the squash for about 15 minutes, until quite soft.
With a wooden spoon, smash about half the squash against the side of the pot. You can make the dish ahead to this point. Set aside until ready to boil the pasta.
When you are ready to boil the pasta, bring the squash to a rolling boil over high heat. Add the pasta and, stirring fairly regularly, cook until the pasta is well-cooked.
These proportions will result in a very thick soup, to be eaten with a spoon, but if it gets too thick before the pasta is cooked, add more water gradually, so the water doesn't stop boiling, and to insure that you don't add too much. If you don't stir regularly, the pasta may stick to the bottom of the pot. Most pasta will take about 10 minutes to cook to the right consistency, but it depends on the brand. This is not a dish for firm (al dente) pasta. It should be tender.
When the pasta is nearly cooked, check for seasoning, adding more salt to taste, and, if you like a spicy dish, adding more hot pepper.
Serve with plenty of grated cheese.
Alternately (and to incidentally have a vegan dish if you've left out the pancetta), serve with hot pepper oil. I make my own simply by topping some hot pepper flakes with vegetable oil and letting it stand. Or a drizzle of olive oil and hot pepper flakes.
Note on pasta: Pasta mista is several shapes of pasta bagged or boxed together and meant to be cooked together. The usual question about this product, which is now fairly available in our Italian markets, is, "Don't the different shapes cook to different degrees, some softer, some firmer? The answer is: That's the point. The different consistencies of the pasta add some textural interest to a dish that is very humble. Of course, pasta mista is a way a thrifty homemaker could salvage leftover this and that, and the way the old-time grocer could sell the bits and pieces at the bottom of his bins.
Pasta mista is used for many of the "pasta-and" dishes, such as pasta and beans, pasta and lentils, and pasta and potatoes. You can make your own pasta mista by saving small quantities of different shapes, or, instead of pasta mista, you can break spaghetti into the dish, or use almost any kind of macaroni, the more fanciful the shape the better.
