Creamy Squash Pasta Sauce

Yesterday I was casting about for something to do with the squash from our last couple of CSA boxes. I wasn't in the mood for roasted or sauteed squash (though both are tasty); I wanted pasta. Last year we picked up a couple of jars of butternut squash pasta sauce at Costco, and it was delicious stuff. I figured it couldn't be too hard to replicate, and it wasn't!

Creamy Squash Pasta Sauce

Olive oil
1 cup minced onion
2 tsp kosher salt
2-6 cloves of garlic, minced or pressed
1 tbsp dried oregano
1 tbsp dried basil
4 cups (approximately) peeled and cubed squash (I used a mix of butternut and festival squash because it was what we had - you could use pretty much any kind you have around)
1-2 cups chicken or vegetable broth, or water
1 cup half and half
Black pepper

Heat a few tablespoons of olive oil in a large saucepan over medium low heat. When it's shimmering, add the onion and salt and cook, stirring frequently, for 5-7 minutes.

Add the garlic and herbs and stir until combined. Cook for about one minute.

Add the squash and stir until combined.

Add the broth/water - you want enough so that all of the squash bits are touching liquid, but not so much that it's all submerged. Stir. Raise the heat to medium high, bring to a gentle simmer, and cover.

Simmer until the squash is easily pierced with a fork, adding more liquid if needed. (Be sparing with the broth - you want enough that the squash isn't burning or getting dried out, but not so much that it looks soupy.)

Turn off the heat and allow the squash to cool a bit before pureeing. If you have an immersion blender, you can puree it right in the pan; otherwise, transfer the mixture carefully to a regular blender or food processor and puree until almost completely smooth - don't worry if there are a few chunks (unless you don't like them, in which case you can of course puree until entirely, velvety smooth).

Turn the heat back on low. Slowly add the cream, while stirring, and heat gently for a few minutes until it's all uniform. Season with black pepper to taste.

Serve over any type of pasta.

Fail

Last night I got tired of waiting for the bread machine to beep (which it does when it reaches the point where add-in ingredients are supposed to be added in), so I dumped the chocolate chips in when it felt right.

I was wrong, it seems. Though I could smell the deliciousness of chocolate chip brioche baking during the night, this morning I woke up this morning to a sad, disgusting brick of something, neither cake nor bread.

Sigh.

Citrus Extract

We made vanilla extract recently, and since we had the ingredients and tools out, we decided to make some lemon and lime extract, too. I use lemon extract fairly often in baked goods, and while I've never used lime extract before, I'm sure I'll find ways to use it now that I have some.

The process is the same as for vanilla, more or less. You'll want to use a neutral alcohol, like vodka or Everclear. I've read that a higher proof alcohol (like around 150 proof) can be used for citrus extracts, but because we had an 80 proof Everclear blend already made, we used that. I also wasn't 100% confident that I'd avoided peeling off the bitter white pith along with the citrus rinds, and I had read in a few places that a higher proof solvent could leach bitterness from the pith. To be on the safe side, we used 80 proof. If you're more confident in your peeling skills, you might want to try using a higher proof to dissolve more of the citrus oils.

Supplies

Bottles (ideally ones like those pictured above, see my post on vanilla extract for more on bottles)

Alcohol (diluted, if necessary, as explained here)

Labels (not strictly necessary, but handy - they don't need to be fancy, you can just tape on pieces of paper)

Limes and/or lemons (or oranges), depending on what type of extract(s) you want to make - two per 4oz bottle

Tools

Vegetable peeler or sharp paring knife
Clean cutting board
Glass measuring cup
Funnel or syringe (for adding alcohol to bottles - optional if you have a steady hand and enough patience to pour it in from the glass measuring cup)

Process

Carefully peel your fruits, avoiding the bitter white layer just under the skin.

Try to keep the pieces large-ish if you're the kind of person (like me) who prefers not to filter their finished extract (that way the pieces will more or less stay in the bottle when you measure out the extract later on). If you plan to filter the extract, you can cut small pieces, or even try using a microplane grater (though keep in mind that getting citrus zest into the bottle may be a bit of a pain).

Now place the bits of peel into your container(s). You may have to use a narrow object of some sort (I used the vegetable peeler) to force the larger pieces in.

Dilute your alcohol, if necessary, and fill each container to a little below the neck.

Label, and store in a cool, dark location, shaking once a day for the first month (the extract will be fine if you forget to shake it every single day).

Done!