Friday, January 13, 2012

The Spaghetti Squash Experiment

So, I decided in 2012 that I wouldn't be scared of trying new things.  Today, I faced my first challenge...a new type of food!  I'd seen dishes of spaghetti squash on Pinterest and elsewhere, and I was intrigued.  It seemed relatively easy to make, sounded tasty, and it's good for you!  I was sold.

Here is what a spaghetti squash looks like:



I was very excited to find one for a good price while grocery shopping today.  So, I came home and looked up recipes.  The one I chose was an Emeril recipe for Herbed Spaghetti Squash.  I choose it because it was fairly basic and I knew I'd be able to really taste the squash itself, which I was curious about.  So, I turn the oven on and get started.  Very quickly, I ran into some trouble.  You see, the first thing you're meant to do is cut the squash in half.  Emeril makes it seem like no big deal, but he apparently wasn't counting on me.  You see, I had an issue with this step.  Mostly, I just have an issue with knives in general after cutting my finger a few years ago.  However, as a result of that issue I don't have a set of culinary knives.  I have a grand total of five knives: a bread knife, a serrated knife, a fish knife, and two paring knives.  So, you can see where I ran into trouble...



Still, I eventually cut it in half.  Victory!



The next step was to steam it in the oven for forty-five minutes.  Piece of cake.  I might have burnt my finger with the steam as I took it out, but hey, it's the price of culinary innovation.  I turned the squash over and put it in for another 15 minutes.



As the squash continued to cook, I quickly sauteed some shrimp in olive oil and set them aside.  Finally, the squash was ready!  I took it out of the oven and let it cool for a few minutes.  I was very impatient to see how it turned out!  I scooped out the seeds and then ran a fork over the inside to pull the 'spaghetti' out.  I was amazed with the results.







Once I'd removed all of the insides, I placed them in a skillet with a little butter, some parsley, and salt and pepper.  I tossed it all together and then put a serving in a bowl with some shrimp on top. Voila!








I wasn't sure what to expect in terms of taste.  I'm not sure if it needed to steam longer (my squash was a bit bigger than the recipe called for), but it still had a crunchy texture.  It was a bit like eating carrots, honestly.  Which is fine, because I like carrots!  There is a ton of squash leftover so I think I'll try it some different ways in the coming days.  However, I would definitely make it again, though only on a weekend because it does take a while to cook.


So, there you have it!  First new thing of 2012!  I can't wait to see what else I will try this year.

1 comment:

  1. I didn't even know a spaghetti squash existed! Very cool, Little!

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