Spaghetti Squash Ideas

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.

Roasted until ready to be sliced

Now observe the magic. Slice in half:

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:

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)

Squash and Bolognaise Sauce

Sprinkle the top with grated cheese:

Sprinkle with grated cheese and bake

Bake at 170 degrees until brown and bubbling.

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.

Add onions, peas, pasta and tomato stock for a
Minestrone Soup

Or fry with some beaten eggs, tomato and cheese for a Bol Frittata:

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

Stir fry the veg quickly

3. Mix the egg with the soy sauce 

Whisk the egg and soy sauce in a cup

4. Pour in the egg mixture and cook quickly together with the veg

Add the egg mixture and cook

5. Add the noodles and the Pad Thai sauce

Add the noodles and sauce

6. Wok cook quickly, and serve with chopped cashew nuts on top

Squash Pad Thai

The leftovers made a yummy noodle salad the next day:

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 ):

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):

Mix in a tablespoon of flour

Add enough water to make a soft dough:

Dough ready for shaping

Shape into walnut-sized balls:

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:

Fry ( or bake) in hot oil

Serve to accompany your curry, salad or dhal:

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.

'Spaghetti' Seeds for planting

I'll let you know how they do.

Lean, Mean Green Beans

A friend gave me several bags of green beans from her freezer the other day- the produce of her bountiful allotment. I joked that she could guess what the next blog would be about. We laughed- but then I reflected that that maybe wasn't such a bad idea.

So, this month's post is dedicated to phaseolus vulgaris- the humble green bean.





When fresh and in season (July/August), these lovely legumes can be treated just like asparagus- stir fried with a little garlic and salt

Simple stir fried beans

then topped with a sprinkling of toasted sesame seeds

or lightly steamed to accompany soft boiled eggs

Asparagus and beans to dip

or even with a quick holllandaise sauce to dip them into whole

Lemon and chive mayo hollandaise
http://lizsleftovers.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/hollandaise

When cooking from frozen - either cook them quickly like in this quick Spring Stir Fry

Stir fry beans, radishes, peppers and spring onions

With beansprouts, noodles and soy sauce in a Spring Stir Fry

or slow cook them with peppers, onion, olive oil, white wine and garlic then cool them to make marinaded slow cooked veg- delicious with salads or quiches.

Slow cooked marinaded vegetables

If they are leftover from a meal, put them in a minestrone to give them another lease of life.

Minestrone

And mix them into your Salade Nicoise

Salade Nicoise

Or why not add them to a Chicken Printanier- a dish of chicken with beans, asparagus and peas in a white wine, mustard and cream sauce?

Chicken Printanier
https://witness.theguardian.com/assignment/5385b5f1e4b0bc2e60e1816f/1004099

Believe me, if I could make a pudding out of them I would- and a quick trawl of the internet revealed that many people have done!

Green Bean Cake

Maybe I'll think about that next time.

Food from Friends

What a summer it's been- and made all the more special thanks to friends. We've had get-togethers and adventures with old friends, but have also enjoyed making new friends along the way, (especially in the Auvergne), which was a lovely surprise.

On returning from our travels, one more surprise for me- a 'Welcome Back' present awaiting us on the doorstep- from a friend's allotment.



When I opened up the bag- this is what was inside:

Welcomed home with veg!

So this week's blog is all about how I made four main dishes- and the same again of leftover lunches- from this bountiful bagful.

I started with the Swiss Chard ( or blettes as it is known in French).

This excellent vegetable is a story of two halves: the leaves which are like spinach and can be used in the same sort of dishes, or can be stuffed like cabbage leaves; and the stems which are like celery and make lovely soups but also gratins and tasty side dishes too.

Swiss Chard- a story of two halves

I decided to make a Quiche Aux Blettes (Swiss Chard Tart- but it sounds tastier in French) with the leaves and a Lyonnais-style side dish with the stems.

Wash the leaves well and wilt down in a saucepan (with just the water clinging to them- no more) then drain and squeeze the leaves dry using a J cloth or tea towel.

Squeezed Chard

Fry some bacon lardons ( or toast some pine nuts for a completely veggie version) and lay in the bottom of a baked pastry case, add the chard and some grated cheese of your choice. 

Nearly there

Beat 3-4 eggs with 200 ml of milk and pour over the mixture in the pastry case. Bake at 170 degrees for 20-30 minutes or until risen, firm and golden.

Quiche aux Bletttes

With sweetcorn to start, and a green salad to accompany- the quiche was a real feast- and the leftovers made two lunches as well.

Likewise the side dish went beautifully with some poached salmon.

Slice the chard stems into bite size pieces. Fry 1 sliced onion and 1 clove of garlic (minced) in some oil, then add the chard pieces and brown a little. Add 1 tbsp white wine or dry sherry and a crumbled vegetable stock cube. Cover with a lid and simmer until the liquid has nearly all been absorbed. Just before serving boil quickly to evaporate the last of the liquid  and whisk in a knob of butter to make the dish glossy.

Lyonnais style Chard- bubbling away

Now for the big beast- that golden marrow!

First job- cut it in half- and use one half for a Mediterranean Tian and the other was to be stuffed and served with salad.

A marrow to be proud of!

I sliced one of the marrow halves lengthways, scooped out any large seeds to make a trench and filled it with beef ragout ( spag bol sauce basically!) 

Beef ragout

and topped with grated cheese-

Ready for the oven

Bake at 180 degrees until the marrow is tender and the cheese golden brown (abut 30 minutes).

Stuffed sliced marrow

The next dish- a Mediterranean Tian - takes a little more work but it's well worth it.

Ingredients:

1 courgette ( or half a marrow!)

400g bechamel sauce

1 aubergine

2 peppers

125g mozzarella

salt pepper and oil (for browning)

breadcrumbs and Parmesan for topping

First make your bechamel sauce in a saucepan (you can add a little grated cheese if you want too).

whisk up your bechamel sauce

Next slice your veg into rondelles and soften them a little in a frying pan with some oil.

slice your veg into rondelles

Spread the sauce in a layer in the bottom of a gratin dish

Spread out the sauce

Layer in the veg and the sliced mozzarella

Season well and place in oven.

Ready for the oven

Bake in a hot oven (200 degrees) until the veg are tender and the sauce is bubbling and golden. Next time I make it, 10 minutes before the end of the cooking I will sprinkle on breadcrumbs and Parmesan to make a crunchy, cheesy topping- so I suggest you do that this time too.

Mediterranean Tian

Any leftovers from this went into a glorious minestrone soup for lunch:

Use-it-All-Up Minestone Soup

Last but most definitely not least, the potatoes.

So many delicious things can be made from the humble spud- but this time I opted for a recipe I gleaned in the Auvergne- Truffade- which is a sort of cheesy, bacon and potato hash. This has to be one of the most delicious things- if you like bacon, potatoes and cheese. which I do- and I recommend it out of all the dishes on this post.

I par-boiled the potatoes until just tender and fried off the leftover bacon lardons ( from the quiche).

I added the potatoes and fried for a while, turning frequently to distribute all the golden crunchy bits from the bottom of the frying pan.

Fry the bacon and potatoes

Lay in a gratin dish with slices of either Tomme cheese ( a lovely stretchy cheese from the Auvergne) or mozzarella. Season well.

Lay in a gratin dish with cheese

Pour over a small carton of creme fraiche and bake at 200 degrees until bubbling and golden ( 20 minutes or so).

Truffade

Phew! Four main dishes, two sides and umpteen leftover lunches- not bad.

Many thanks to all our friends and family for making this summer such a special one.