Spinach Fettucccine with Leeks and Butternut Squash

3 Tbsp. butter
4 medium leeks, white part only, or 2 medium onions, chopped fine
1 medium butternut squash (1 1/2 lbs.), quartered, seeded, peeled, and  cut into 1/2 inch dice
1/4 cup chicken stock, canned broth or water
1 cup heavy cream
6 fresh sage leaves, finely chopped, or 1/2 tsp. dry sage
1 lb. fresh or dried spinach fettuccine
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Heat water in large pot to cook pasta.  Halve leeks lengthwise and then slice thinly crosswise.  Rinse leeks well to remove all grit.  In a large skillet, melt the butter over moderate heat.  Add the leeks or onions and cook for 5 minutes.  Add the butternut squash and cook for 3 minutes longer.  Add the chicken stock, cover the pan, and steam the vegetables until just tender, about 5 to 10 minutes.  Stir in the cream and sage until well mixed and remove from the heat.  Salt the boiling pasta water.  Add fettuccine and cook until al dente, about 3 minutes for fresh and 10 minutes for dried.  Drain pasta and toss with sauce and Parmesan cheese.  Season with salt and pepper.  Pass extra cheese separately.

This pasta dish was served to the ladies' Kairos team after we left the women's prison, FCI Marianna, one evening.  It was prepared by a pair of men who surprised us with their cooking skills.  They served it with oyster bisque and a salad.  It tasted wonderful to a bunch of tired women. I don't think it was just because we had been eating prison food all weekend.  Kairos is a group that puts on three-day Christian renewal weekends in prisons, and while we are "inside" during the day, we eat the same food as the residents.