it goes on the menu: Butternut Squash and Pancetta Orecchiette

My drive home from work usually consists of me calling the hubby and asking “What do we do for dinner?” Mind you it’s not like our pantry and fridge are bare - believe me, my $150 Central Market bill from Sunday afternoon begs to differ- it’s just plain laziness. I just worked all day and don’t feel like cooking. If I wasn’t such a food snob I could do boxed mashed potatoes with frozen chicken patties and call it a day.  Problem is, it has to be from scratch, restaurant quality and taste amazing. So we settle on some local eatery. The total bill if we only have one glass of wine each will be around $40. That’s cheap right? No, it’s not when you multiply that by four, because it's the fourth night this week we ate out. I have been trying to cook at home. Every night. So far so good this week. Here's a new recipe I tried last night and loved. I always choose something that I can easily simplify for my kids. In this case I put some pasta aside for them and tossed with with the pancetta, butter, pasta water and Pecorino Romano cheese

Butternut Squash and Pancetta Orecchiette

from Spoon Fork Bacon

Serves 3 to 4 (I doubled all the veggies)

Ingredients:

1 lb orecchiette pasta

3 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 ounces pancetta, diced

1 shallot, diced

1 medium carrot, peeled and diced

1 celery stalk, peeled and diced

1 garlic clove, minced

2/3 cup white wine

1 1/2 cups butternut squash, peeled and diced

8 to 10 threads saffron

1 tablespoon minced thyme

2 teaspoons thinly sliced chives

2 egg yolks

1 cup pasta water

1/2 cup grated Pecorino Romano, plus more for garnish

                                                              salt and pepper to taste

1. Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil. Once the water has been brought to a boil, add pasta and stir. Cook pasta until al dente, drain (reserving 3/4 cup pasta water), toss with 1/2 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil and set aside.

2. Pour 1 tablespoon of oil into a large sauté pan and place over medium-high heat. Add pancetta and sauté for 3 minutes. Drain pancetta onto paper towels and set aside.

3. Pour remaining oil to pan and sauté shallots for 1 minute. Add carrots, celery and garlic and continue to sauté for 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

4. Add the squash and continue to sauté for an additional 3 to 4 minutes.

5. Deglaze the pan with the white wine, stir in the saffron threads and cook until the liquid has almost disappeared or until the squash has softened.

6. Return pancetta to the pan, with the vegetable mixture and stir in the orecchiette until well combined.

7. Reduce the heat to medium-low and gently fold in the herbs.

8. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and pasta water. Pour the mixture over the pasta and stir together. Sprinkle cheese over pasta and stir until just combined. Adjust seasonings and serve with extra pecorino sprinkled on top.