Put spaghetti squash on the short list of indigenous American foods, alongside corn, tomatoes and pecans.
Pity the squash, though.
While corn, tomatoes and pecans are mainstays in most American diets, the lowly squash is mostly ignored. That’s too bad. This cultivar of the squash called C. Pepo started showing up in 1930s gardens. But its popularity has flat-lined.
My hunch is that folks just don’t know what to make of the oval-shaped squash that’s about the size of a regulation Pop Warner football. On the outside, the spaghetti squash looks pretty but not inspiring. Inside, though, a cool kitchen chemistry thing happens when the squash is baked. Its pale-yellow flesh becomes a tangle of spaghettini-sized fibers with myriad uses.
Scrape it out with a fork, and you’re rewarded with mounds of veggie spaghetti – a fiber-rich vegetable that can be used like pasta, sauteed in olive oil and sprinkled with parmesan or baked into a gratin. Log on to www.fabulousfoods.com for recipes as varied as spaghetti squash Alfredo, and oysters and spaghetti squash.
Maybe with a little luck and a little PR, spaghetti squash will shed its Rodney Dangerfield reputation.
Availability: Although available year-round, the best-tasting ones are showing up in local farmers markets now. Selection and storage: Choose ones that are firm and not discolored. The rind should be dull, not shiny.
A shiny rind indicates that the squash was harvested prematurely and won’t be as sweet as a mature one. Store in a cool, dark place for up to one month.
The cooked flesh also can be frozen in sealed freezer bags. Partly thaw before using and then steam until tender about 5 minutes.
Preparation: Chef and cookbook author Madeleine Kamman recommends baking the squash whole. To do so, prick the squash two or three times with a fork, then bake 1 to 1-1/2 hours in a preheated 325-degree oven. Remove when a knife cleanly pierces the skin. After the squash cools, cut it in half, remove the seeds and scoop out the stringy flesh with a spoon.
It can also be boiled, microwaved, steamed or cooked in a slow cooker.
Nutritional value: An average spaghetti squash will weigh about 2-1/2 pounds and yield 4 cups of stringy pulp. An 8-ounce serving has just 75 calories and is a source of vitamins C and B6.
Fun facts: Spaghetti squash is also called vegetable spaghetti or noodle squash.
Sources: “The Making of a Cook,” by Madeleine Kamman (William Morrow, 1997); “Vegetables,” by James Peterson (William Morrow, 1998); “The Oxford Companion to Food,” by Alan Davidson (Oxford University press, 1999); www.wholehealthmd.com ; www. fabulousfoods.com.
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SPAGHETTI SQUASH GRATIN
Makes 6 servings
1 (21/2-pound) spaghetti squash
9 fresh sage leaves, divided
1 garlic clove
2 1/4 cups grated Swiss Gruyere cheese, divided
3/4 cup heavy cream
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Cut the squash in half lengthwise and place halves, flesh side down, in a baking dish with enough hot water to come 1/4 inch up the sides of the squash. (The water prevents burning and helps steam the squash so it cooks more evenly.) Cover with aluminum foil and bake until the squash is soft when poked with a knife, 1 to 1-1/2 hours (or cover with a lid or plastic wrap and microwave 15 minutes).
Spoon out and discard the seeds. Scrape along the pulp with a fork and pull out and reserve the shreds. (Leave the oven on, unless you’re baking the squash in advance.)
Rub the bottom of an 8-cup or slightly larger gratin or baking dish with butter.
Finely chop 6 of the sage leaves and toss the “spaghetti” with the chopped sage, garlic, 2 cups of Swiss Gruyere, the heavy cream and salt to taste. Spread the mixture in the baking or gratin dish – the squash layer should be about 1 inch thick – and sprinkle over the rest of the cheese. Arrange the 3 remaining sage leaves on top of the gratin. Bake about 45 minutes. If the top of the gratin doesn’t turn golden brown minutes in the oven, slide it under the broiler about 1 minute to brown it. Grind over some fresh pepper and serve immediately.
Per serving: 322 calories (64 percent from fat), 24 grams total fat (15 grams saturated), 60 milligrams cholesterol, 16 grams carbohydrates, 14 grams protein, 154 milligrams sodium, trace dietary fiber.
From “Vegetables” (Morrow, 1998) by James Peterson
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(c) 2005, The Kansas City Star.
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ARCHIVE PHOTO on KRT Direct (from KRT Photo Service, 202-383-6099): Spaghetti squash
PHOTO (from KRT Photo Service, 202-383-6099): Spaghetti squash
AP-NY-10-10-05 0616EDT
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