Radicchio Acorn Squash Tagliolini

The days are getting shorter, the nights colder, and I find myself more often in the mood for a comforting, decadent dish, without the unhealthy downsides that usually come with it. This Radicchio Acorn Squash Tagliolini recipe, vegan or not depending on your dietary preferences, precisely caters to those needs, when you feel desire for cozying up in a rich, but also sophisticated, delicacy of a meal.

As part two of my series of recipes spotlighting the many uses that something as simple and seasonal as an acorn squash can have, I’m sharing this recipe with you. Have some kitchen fun and enjoy every last smudge of sauce on your plate. If you really want to have the full experience, uncork a bottle of Valpolicella red wine.

Buon appetito e salute!

Basics

for the squash

the sauce

For the Acorn Squash

Preheat the oven to 450°F.

Slice the acorn squash into 1” thick rings, and remove the seeds and rind. Place on an oven-safe shallow dish, brush with olive oil, sprinkle with salt, and roast for about 20 minutes, or until tender.

Cube some of the squash while making sure to have 4 whole slices remaining for plating the dish later, then set aside.

On to the Sauce

Start the water for the noodles – fill a large pot with cold water and place on a burner on high.

In a medium size saucepan, sauté the radicchio with butter, for 5 minutes. Add ¼ cup of milk, plus salt, tarragon, and walnuts. Bring to a gentle boil for 10 minutes. Transfer ⅔ of the sauce to a food processor or blender, add the remaining ¼ cup of milk, and process until a thick mixture is obtained.

Return to the pan and combine with the rest of the unprocessed radicchio mixture. Cut in ½ cup of vegan bleu cheese (or gorgonzola if you are not strictly vegan), and return to the flame for 5 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and the sauce starts to thicken just a little.

And the Noodles

When the water for the noodles begins to boil, add a pinch of salt, and wait until it starts bubbling again. Add the tagliolini, or linguine, give it a stir and cook al dente according to the instructions on the package. Drain the noodles, return to the large pot in which you cooked them, and add in the sauce. Combine thoroughly over medium heat for 2 or 3 minutes.

Some assembly required

To plate your meal, put a slice of roasted acorn squash on a dinner plate, place ¼ of the tagliolini on top, and garnish with a few pieces of squash that you cubed earlier. Repeat the same steps for the three remaining portions.

EXTRAS AND TIPS

I know it isn’t the easiest alternative ingredient to find in grocery stores, so I wanted to share the kind that I have used before: Blue cheese crumbles by “Follow Your Heart” (https://followyourheart.com/products/dairy-free-bleu-cheese-crumbles/). I find it almost always at my local grocers.

In case you missed the “Zucchini Flower Pasta” post, here’re my suggestions for cooking perfectly al dente noodles:

Put water in a tall, large pot, and set it on a wide burner on high heat, in order to bring it to a boil. When the water reaches a jolly boil, salt with 2 tsp of coarse salt. Tip the noodles into the boiling water and cook. 

Here are the tests for when the pasta is done:

• • The color should remain golden yellow. A faded or white color means it is over done.

• • It should hold its shape firmly.

• • When bitten, there should be some resistance towards the center while the outer layer is slightly softened.

Drain the noodles in a colander, and rinse under cold water immediately to stop them from cooking any longer.

Last, but not least, the star of the show: the acorn squash. This highly versatile and delicious vegetable adds just the right amount of sweetness to a dish with an otherwise intensely bitter profile. The tarragon marries perfectly with the squash, while the nuts add texture and compliment both the radicchio and the pungent flavor of the gorgonzola/blue cheese.