Black and Orange Recipe: Black Fettuccine with Shrimp and Butternut Squash
Editor's Note: Our intern Kerry checks in with another black and orange recipe. She said this one is her favorite yet!
To give credit where credit is due, this dish is the scion of Giada de Laurentiis's Spaghetti with Eggplant, Butternut Squash, and Shrimp, which she also concocted as a black and orange Halloween feast. Being the controlling French foodie that I am, I had to then go about changing it: making the flavors a bit more delicate, and the colors more emphatic.
The eggplant, which can be unreliable, was sacrificed, and Giada's fresh orange spaghetti was swapped in with rich squid-ink black fettuccine (to pop against the orange studs of squash and shrimp). The sauce is luscious – creamy and light all at once – and acts as the perfect “Halloween for grown-ups” dish.
About the author: Kerry Saretsky is a Serious Eats intern and the creator of French Revolution Food, where she reinvents her family's classic French recipes in a fresh, chic, modern way.
Black and Orange Recipe: Black Fettuccine with Shrimp and Butternut Squash
- serves 4 to 6 -
Ingredients
1/4 cup of olive oil
2 large shallots, sliced
2 cloves of garlic, sliced
1 teaspoon of herbes de Provence
1 tablespoon of fresh thyme leaves, with optional extra for garnish
1 1/3 pounds of peeled and cubed butternut squash, trimmed to a 1/2-inch dice
1 1/4 cups of dry white wine
2 cups of vegetable broth (1 can)
30 ounces of peeled and deveined shrimp
17.5 ounces of black fettuccine (if your store sells another shape of black pasta, like spaghetti or linguine, go ahead and use it)
4 tablespoons of cold unsalted butter (1/2 stick)
Salt and pepper
Parmagiano Reggiano cheese, grated to taste (optional)
Procedure
1. Heat the oil in a large nonstick pan over medium heat.
2. Place the shallots in the warm oil, and sauté for 5 minutes, until translucent and fragrant.
3. Scatter in the garlic, thyme, and herbes de Provence, and sauté for one minute more.
4. Tumble in the cubes of butternut squash, and continue cooking for 8-10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
5. Pour in the wine and broth, and increase heat to medium high, allowing the liquid to boil and then simmer for 8-10 minutes, until the squash is tender, and the liquid reduces by about half.
6. With the liquid still simmering, add in the clean shrimp, and make sure they are submerged. They will be just cooked and perfect in five minutes.
7. Meanwhile, boil the squid-ink black fettuccine in a large pot of boiling salted water according to package directions. Be sure to drain it just shy of the listed cooking time, so that it remains al dente.
8. Dice the cold butter into cubes and place into a large bowl. Add the fettuccine and the shrimp and squash mixture to the bowl, and toss.
9. Serve hot, with a scattering of freshly grated Parmagiano Reggiano and extra thyme leaves over the bowls.
Previously
Black and Orange Recipe: Pumpernickel Grilled Cheddar with Apple and Thyme
Black and Orange Recipe: Poppy-Crusted Sea Scallops on Fennel and Orange Salad
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5 Comments:
I have never seen black fettuccine ! Amazing.
jonny509 at 10:58AM on 10/15/08
You can buy it at most gourmet stores or Italian markets! I adore it. I also love to make it "black & white," with squid ink in the brothy sauce, and mussels, bay scallops, and calamari on top. It's very "marine" and Venetian. You should definitely try it!
Kerry Saretsky at 11:12AM on 10/15/08
Where in NYC do you get squid ink? I've been wanting to make my own fresh squid ink pasta. Have been a little lazy about hitting the pavement in search of some. Any pointers? Does Citarella have it?
simon at 2:52PM on 10/15/08
@ simon: Citarella does have it, and it's very reasonably priced. It's a very small package, so if you ask the fish guys, they'll point you in the right direction. Let us know how the pasta turns out!
Kerry Saretsky at 9:44PM on 10/15/08
@ andabr9: I have never seen risotto made with barley before! How interesting. The recipe looks good--I would just say be careful in step one. You don't want the mushrooms to be soggy; you want them to become as crisp and flavorful as possible. So, I would just wipe them off with a damp cloth instead of rinsing them, and I would be sure to cook them until crisp without seasoning until the very end. I believe it is this step that cements the flavor in the dish.
Kerry Saretsky at 10:56AM on 10/16/08