mantilo: a miscellany

Spaghetti Squash

One of the nicer things that I have cooked since coming back - ok, the only thing, aside from toast - is spaghetti squash. Squash in general is pretty inexpensive and at a hefty five or so pounds you are essentially getting 8 generous servings of it or something like that. Seriously, I made lunch for mom and myself and we were left with a large container of extra squash.

Spaghetti squash is particularly nice because it comes out in strings after it’s been cooked. It’s almost like not eating squash, which tastes good but whose mushy factor constantly reminds you that you’re eating squash. Also, as indicated on the right, it has a lot of nutrients. Not too shabby. Yeah fiber!

I find that serving it like spaghetti works the best for me; sometimes I find the taste of it alone kind of bland in that “Look at me! I’m eating healthy! I love carrots!” sort of way. I ended up making a vodka sauce, which is a little creamy to help counteract the hint of bitterness I sometimes find in the squash. Sometimes.

To serve:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Split one in half, lengthwise. I like to make a careful whack down the middle with my trusty cleaver and then cut around. Scoop out the middle part with all the seeds. It feels a bit gross and smells a bit like pumpkin. It will not look stringy yet.

Since one squash produces a lot of stuff, I would reserve one half if you’re going to eat by yourself or with one other person. With the half you are going to cook, coat lightly with olive oil and place open-side down on a baking tray.

Shove into oven and cook for 40 minutes. You should be able to poke a fork through the skin when it’s ready. Take away from oven and let it sit for a little. Then use a fork or big spoon to scrape out the flesh, which should look like strings now. Combine with salt, pepper, and some olive oil and stir it up to break up the strings.

While the squash is cooking, cook a cup of vodka and a jar of marinara sauce and a bay leaf over low heat for twenny minutes. Heat up a cup of milk in a separate saucepan over low, stirring until slightly thickened (5 minutes). Slowly add milk to sauce, hope it doesn’t curdle. Add a few shakes of basil and oregano.
Optional? Add a cup of grated white cheese (I ended up using brick but any reasonable white cheese would work). Stir until melted.

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