Recently, a friend of mine took me to a French restaurant. Since my experiences with French restaurants in St. Louis have been less than stellar, I was a little apprehensive. To my delight, I practically licked my plate clean. Crispy crepes, filled with creamy shrimp and spinach dished on a pool of melt-in-your-mouth cheese sauce tickled my taste buds. It was served with steamed broccoli and buttered spaghetti squash. As memorable as the crepes were, what blew me away was the simple and pure deliciousness of the squash.
The spaghetti squash is part of the winter squash category. It has yellow skin and is shaped similarly to a watermelon but much smaller. Available all year long, you can buy them at your regular grocery store.
There are two simple ways to cook this squash: in the oven or in the microwave. Who would have thought that I would encourage microwave cooking?
To bake, cut the squash in half lengthwise. Place cut-side down on a baking sheet with ¼ inch of water. Bake at 375 degrees for 35-45 minutes.
To microwave, pierce the squash with a tip of a knife generously. Make about twelve incisions throughout the squash skin. This will create vents for the steam, preventing it from exploding. Place it directly onto the turntable and microwave for 15-20 minutes on high. When it is soft to the touch, you know that the squash is finished.
Let the microwaved squash cool for about 10 minutes before cutting it in half.
For both the baked and microwaved squash, use a spoon to remove the seeds. Then use a fork to scrape the flesh off the skin to make spaghetti strands. Toss the strands with butter and season with salt. You can serve this as it is as a side dish or add marinara sauce, parmesan cheese, or herbs.
