A friend kndly gave me a couple of beautiful Spaghetti Squash the other day- and I was determined to do them justice.
If you've never cooked this intriguing vegetable, I do recommend it. Though they look ordinary from the outside, they are anything but.
Read on to see what I did with mine.
First of all, you need to roast the beast. You can try slicing it first- but I only achieved this by placing it in a woodworking vice and sawing it with a hacksaw!
It's easier to roast it whole in a hot oven for 40 minutes or so, until you can get a knife into it easily.
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| Roasted until ready to be sliced |
Now observe the magic. Slice in half:
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| Slice in half and scrape out the seeds |
Scrape out the seeds ( and save them for re-planting ) and then take a fork and scrape away at the flesh. It will come away in spaghetti-like fronds:
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| Pull away the 'spaghetti' with a fork |
You then have the basis of many different dishes- I chose first a Bolognaise Gratin.
Butter a gratin dish and mix your squash with a Bolognaise Ragout ( you don't need me to tell you how to make a Bol sauce, I'm sure)
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| Squash and Bolognaise Sauce |
Sprinkle the top with grated cheese:
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| Sprinkle with grated cheese and bake |
Bake at 170 degrees until brown and bubbling.
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| Squash Bolognaise Gratin |
The leftovers went well in my Use-it-up Minestrone Soup- with the addition of some more tomato stock, some peas, green onions and
orzo pasta.
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Add onions, peas, pasta and tomato stock for a
Minestrone Soup |
Or fry with some beaten eggs, tomato and cheese for a Bol Frittata:
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| Squash Bol Frittata |
Next bowl of 'spaghetti' went into a Veggie Pad Thai:
Ingredients:
half a spaghetti squash - pulled into fronds
1 egg
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 block of egg noodles
3 spring onions
1 tbsp crunchy veg eg. radishes, peppers, baby corn
Pad Thai sauce- made from 3 tbsp peanut butter, 1 finely sliced chilli, 1 tbsp lime juice, 1 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp mirin ( or sherry )
Chopped cashew nuts for garnish
1. Cook the noodles and drain
2. Stir fry the spring onions and other veg (including the squash) in a wok
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| Stir fry the veg quickly |
3. Mix the egg with the soy sauce
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| Whisk the egg and soy sauce in a cup |
4. Pour in the egg mixture and cook quickly together with the veg
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| Add the egg mixture and cook |
5. Add the noodles and the Pad Thai sauce
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| Add the noodles and sauce |
6. Wok cook quickly, and serve with chopped cashew nuts on top
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| Squash Pad Thai |
The leftovers made a yummy noodle salad the next day:
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| Noodle salad |
So, we've been to Italy with our Spag Bol Squash, and Thailand with our Pad Thai. Time for a quick trip to India to make Spaghetti Squash Bhajias.
Mix 3 tbsp spaghetti squash fronds with 1 chopped onion, 2 tsp turmeric, a tsp salt and 1 tbsp garam masala ( or curry powder ):
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| Mix up onion rings, squash and spices |
Add 1 tbsp of gram or rice flour ( or plain flour if that's what you have in the store cupboard):
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| Mix in a tablespoon of flour |
Add enough water to make a soft dough:
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| Dough ready for shaping |
Shape into walnut-sized balls:
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| Dough shaped and ready for frying |
Fry in hot oil ( or you can bake them in the oven for a healthier version) until brown all over:
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| Fry ( or bake) in hot oil |
Serve to accompany your curry, salad or dhal:
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| Spaghetti Squash Bhajias |
Oh..and remember those seeds I scraped out at the beginning? I've washed them, dried them and will be planting them as soon as I can, so as I can grow my own lovely Spaghetti Squash.
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| 'Spaghetti' Seeds for planting |
I'll let you know how they do.
