Super, Sexy, Strange: Spaghetti Squash!

I was given my first Spaghetti Squash a couple of years ago by a neighbour but I had absolutely no idea about it’s spaghetti like properties and I proceeded to treat it as I would any other straightforward squash. I peeled it and chopped it (with some difficulty as it was incredibly hard!) and made soup out of it, fairly nondescript soup at that. It certainly didn’t wow me; it was watery, bland and pale, saved somewhat by the copious amounts of garlic I chucked in.

Then I started to hear murmurings about this bizarre sounding squash that turned into spaghetti when roasted. It sounded down right weird but wonderful too! I didn’t hold out much hope of finding one…I didn’t really know what they looked like and unusual and rare ingredients can be a struggle to find here in rural heaven.

One day I was buying herbs in a rather good green grocers nearby and I saw one! They had kindly attached a sticker stating it was a ‘Spaghetti Courge’ but no other instructions were supplied. I bought it and hurried home with my fabled squash, eager to unlock its spaghetti secrets.

Looking at the big yellow thing in my hands, I did wonder at how I would be able to turn it into anything even resembling spaghetti. Luckily, in this modern age, you can find the answers to just about anything on the Internet so I did a bit of research and I was ready to go.

In terms of accompaniments, I approached this in two ways. I considered what works with real spaghetti and what works with squash. I decided to make a walnut pesto assuming the walnuts would compliment the squash in a lovely autumnal way and the pesto would coat the spaghetti squash as it would do normal pasta.

It turns out that cooking a spaghetti squash could not be easier. Stab it a few times with a fork and stick it in the oven for an hour or so. Nothing mysterious or complex about that! Then cut it in half length ways, scoop out the seeds and use a fork to scrape out the astonishing spaghetti strands! This is Fun Food, it really will amaze!

I very quickly and easily knocked up a batch of walnut pesto and cooked some chicken pieces to toss into the mix and my Spaghetti Squash with Walnut Pesto & Chicken was ready to eat. It was a total triumph. The walnut pesto was strong with garlic and basil and had a texture that contrasted perfectly with the soft, moist spaghetti squash. The squash definitely yearned for a strong topping and in itself did not pack much of a flavour punch. But it has a wow factor and uniqueness that captivates. Low in fat and high in fun, I fell in love with it!

And suddenly I was seeing spaghetti squash everywhere! Happily I bought another one and set about contemplating how best to make it sing. This time I decided to give it an Asian twist and Spaghetti Squash with Thai Meatballs & Lime was the result (alternate name: Shamazeballs!) I used ‘Chair de Saucisse’ to make my meatballs which is a delicious pork mince with tonnes of flavour. I think you could use the meat from some plain sausages which would work the same. I added a pinch of chilli flakes and rolled the meat into little bite size balls. I fried thick slices of red onion with the browned balls and made a sauce with grated ginger, garlic, soy, fish sauce, sesame oil and lime juice. The finished dish was fantastic, the balance of the sweet, salty sauce; the delicious meatballs and then the soft squash noodles was just supreme. It seems the possibilities with this super sexy squash are limitless.

Lastly, I had some squash left over after my Thai Meatball dish which I kept in the fridge. I didn’t want to waste it so I added it to a Spicy Butternut Squash Soup and it gave texture and substance, just like adding noodles. Simple but ace!

So there you have it, the super, sexy, strange Spaghetti Squash! If you have never tried one, I urge you to seek it out and give it a go! It is versatile and remarkable and guaranteed to make you smile. Don’t be scared of it, it just wants you to unlock its spaghetti secrets!  It truly is fun and just makes you want to get creative. My kinda ingredient!

I entered this post into Made With Love Mondays hosted by Javelin Warrior’s Cookin With Luv and also Simple and In Season hosted by Ren from Fabulicious Food.