Swiss Chard Trenette in Brown Butter Sauce with Roasted Winter Squash

Last Sunday was spent preparing for Hurricane Sandy's big blows. We filled jars with water, bought candles, stood on line, and stocked our pantry. In the hours of hunkering down I set about in the kitchen- marinating, stewing, roasting, and baking. This is one of the recipes that came about that day. Extra-long trenette tossed in a brown "butter" (earth balance) garlic sauce with swiss chard and roasted winter squash. Thankfully, our apartment was spared of the hurricane's rage. Please keep NY in your thoughts as the storm took a serious toll on the city and many friends are out of power or dealing with flooding and damage. I love this city and the very human generosity that I have seen happen between strangers in the last few days is inspiring.

1 bunch swiss chard (washed, stemmed and chopped)
4 cloves garlic (pressed and minced)
1 tsp crushed red pepper
1/3 cup earth balance
2 Tbs. olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

1 winter squash (halved)
olive oil

Preheat oven to 400. Prepare the squash for roasting. Scoop out seeds, rub with olive oil, and place squash halves face down on a baking sheet. Cook until tender when poked with a fork.

Prepare noodles in salted water till al dente. In a large saucepan heat the earth balance and olive oil. Reduce heat to low and stir constantly, being careful not to burn. Let the butter simmer for a few minutes and add the crushed red pepper and garlic. Saute for five minutes, being careful not to burn the garlic. Add the chard and salt and stir until limp. Add salt and pepper to taste.  When the squash is finished roasting, scoop out the inside and slice into long strips. Toss with chard and noodles and serve immediately!

Enjoy,
NRG