Guy Fieri is one busy cook. He's the star of three of the Food Network's hottest shows: Diners, Drive-ins and Dives (airs Mondays at 10pm & 10:30pm, Fridays at 9pm & 9:30pm and Sundays at 3pm & 3:30pm ET/PT), Guy's Big Bite (airs Sundays at 11am ET/PT), and next season's Ultimate Recipe Showdown. Here's one of his signature dishes, just for BettyConfidential readers.

Makes 8-10 servings (Prep time: 20 minutes, cook time: 1 hour 20 minutes in all)

Ingredients:

3 whole acorn squash, approximately 8 cups when cooked

1 tablespoon salt

1 tablespoon pepper, freshly cracked

6 shallots, 1 cup diced, 3 left whole and peeled

6 garlic cloves, peeled

3 tablespoons olive oil

¼ pound pancetta, diced into ¼” dice

4 cups chicken stock, low sodium

1 cup heavy cream

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

¼ teaspoon cayenne

¼ teaspoon white pepper1 teaspoon sage, dry

1 teaspoon savory

1/3 cup parmesan cheese, grated

1/3 cup best quality olive oil

Pistachio Parmesan croutons for service, recipe follows

Preparation:

1. Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F.  Cut the squash in half on the equator and remove the seeds with a spoon. Cut a flat spot on each end so the squash will sit flat. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and place the squash on it, cut side up.  To three of the squash, add a peeled shallot and to the other three add 2 garlic cloves each.

2. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and season with 1 tablespoon each of the salt and freshly cracked pepper. Place in the hot oven and roast for approximately one hour or until very tender and starting to caramelize and collapse.

3. Remove from oven and when cool enough to handle, remove the squash from the skin. Reserve the roasted shallots and garlic with the squash. Can be done ahead.

4. In a large Dutch oven, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and sauté the pancetta over medium high heat until pancetta in crispy. Remove the pancetta to drain and reserve the fat, add into the fat the raw diced shallots and sauté for 5-6 minutes until they are starting to caramelize.

5. Deglaze with ½ cup of the chicken stock and stir to remove any fond.  Reduce heat to medium low and add in the reserved squash, roasted shallots and garlic and then the remaining chicken stock. Stir to combine, then puree with a stick blender. The mixture will be very thick. 

6. Add in the herbs, then the cream and Worcestershire sauce and heat slowly thru on medium low. When mixture comes to a slow simmer, mix again with the stick blender and stir in ¼ cup of the parmesan cheese and turn heat to low. 

7. Serve with a fresh crack of black pepper, a nice drizzle of Extra Virgin olive oil and a light sprinkle of parmesan cheese and a sprinkle of the rendered pancetta.

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