spaghetti squash: the spaghetti noodle's older, vegan, living-in-a-vw-bus, tree-huggin' brother

during my vegetarian escapades i convinced myself i would make the effort to discover some new vegetables, as consuming all that is green was key to my new found diet and lifestyle. alas, i never did try a different veggie. i lived off bean and cheese burritos and baked rigatoni instead. good job.

just last week i finally introduced something new into my dinner repertoire. and wouldn't you know - it's the one vegetable that mimics pasta!

i picked up a beautiful 4-lb. locally grown spaghetti squash at the jack london square farmer's market and searched out a tasty recipe on epicurious (it's down there). spaghetti squash with parsley walnut pesto.

i don't know about you, but i always find that food i prepare myself never tastes as good as when it's prepared by someone else. maybe it's because i'm a newbie at this whole cooking thing. but this dish in particular was definitely doable and definitely edible (and obviously, worth posting here). however, the spaghetti squash just had this grass/cud/hay-like es essence that i could only stand for so long. it lacked the fatty goodness, the chunky carbs, the melt-in-your-mouthiness of traditional pasta dishes. which i guess is the whole point of a spaghetti squash dish. score one point for staying on the diet track.

the pesto is extremely easy to make, and although incredibly salty, it works perfectly when blended with the basic, "natural" quality of the squash. i used parmigiano in lieu of pecorino, which was a mistake in my book. next time i'll follow the recipe explicitly.

enjoy.


spaghetti squash with parsley walnut pesto

1 (3 1/2- to 4-lb) spaghetti squash
1/4 cup walnuts (3/4 oz)
1/2 garlic clove
1 1/3 cups packed fresh flat-leaf parsley
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 1/2 tablespoons finely grated pecorino
1 tablespoon water
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon finely grated fresh lemon zest

pierce squash all over with a paring knife. cook in a microwave oven 8 minutes, then turn over and microwave until squash gives when pressed gently, 8 to 10 minutes more. cool squash 5 minutes.

while squash is cooking, toast nuts in a dry small heavy skillet over moderate heat, stirring frequently, until fragrant and a shade darker, about 6 minutes, then cool completely.

pulse nuts and garlic in a food processor until finely ground. add parsley, oil, cheese, water, salt, pepper, and zest and pulse until parsley is coarsely chopped.

while squash is still hot, cut off stem from squash and discard, then halve squash lengthwise and discard seeds. scrape out squash flesh with a fork into a bowl, loosening and separating strands. toss with pesto in a bowl.