Recipe-Squash Sugo with Fontina

Photo from DinasaurDishes on Flickr-

What’s the difference between sugo and sauce? Glad you asked. The difference is two things-

1. How much you pay for a dish in a restaurant-sugo sounds more refined and therefore is worth more.

2. Squash sauce doesn’t sound impressive to your friends. Squash sugo sounds like you know what the hell you’re doing in the kitchen!

So, I was looking for ways to use the last of the butternut squash and came up with this. Really simple and very easy to make vegetarian. Oh, yea it tastes good if I do say so myself! We served it with whole wheat pasta, but you can use really any kind-just make sure it’s good quality. Again for this dish I prefer a short shape. I like to leave the texture of this pasta sauce a little rustic thereby enhancing my handcrafted street cred.

Squash Sugo with Fontina

Makes enough sauce for 1lb of pasta

1 medium butternut (or similar) squash peeled, seeded and cubed

1 small red onion finely diced

¾ C chicken or vegetable stock

½ C Fontina cheese cubed

1/2 C half and half

Pinch of chili flakes (more to taste)

4 T extra virgin olive oil

1. Add olive oil and onion to large saucepan set on medium heat and sauté for 5-6 minutes until onion is tender-do not brown.
2. Add squash, garlic and chili flakes to pan and season with salt and pepper and sauté and add’l 5 min.
3. Add stock or water, bring to boil then reduce heat to low. Partially cover the pan and simmer for approx 15 min or until squash is tender and liquid is almost dry.
4. Turn off heat and add half and half, and the cubed Fontina. Mash with a potato masher until mostly smooth ( I like it a little rustic).
5. Add cooked pasta to sauce and serve w Parmiggiano Reggiano.

2 Responses to “Recipe-Squash Sugo with Fontina”

Author comments are in a darker gray color for you to easily identify the posts author in the comments

1. Neva says:

   March 10, 2012 at 5:48 pm

   I’m making this! Sounds awesome…thanks, honey!

   Reply
2. Jeff says:

   March 10, 2012 at 5:54 pm

   My pleasure ! Hope it turns out good-TTY soon.

   Reply